- A Dutch family was found living in the basement of their farmhouse on Sunday, waiting for the end of the world.
- The family was found after the eldest son, Jan, 25, escaped the basement, wet to a local bar, and spilled the story to the bar’s owner.
- The bartender called the police, who found the family living in a farmhouse.
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A Dutch family who spent nine years waiting for the end of the world in their farmhouse basement was discovered on Sunday after the eldest son escaped, went to a local bar, and spilled his story to the pub’s owner.
Café de Kastelein owner Chris Westerbeek told RTV Drenthe that the 25-year-old man, identified by his first name, Jan, visited his bar a number of times in recent weeks and that he initially turned him away.
But when Jan came back on Sunday, Westerbeek let him stay and heard a truly stunning story about his family.
“He said he had not been outside for nine years,” Westerbeek said. “Later he also said that he had four brothers and one sister who lived in the farm. He was the oldest and wanted to put an end to the way they lived.”
Westerbeek said Jan "admitted that he had run away and that he needed help" so he helped the young man by calling the police.
Cops later searched Jan's home and found his family living in the basement of the farmhouse. Some reports say that Jan's father was found laying in bed in the basement and that he suffered a stroke several years ago. Others said it was uncertain whether their father was found with the siblings at all.
Police arrested a 58-year-old man, identified as Josef B., on suspicion of deprivation of liberty and harming the health of others. Initial reports stated that he was the father of the family, but Mayor Roger de Groot later clarified at a Tuesday news conference that he rented out the farm but wasn't the siblings' father, according to Dutch News. RTV Drenthe reported that police do not know Josef's relationship to the family.
The children in the family ranged from 18 to 25 years old and had no idea there were other people in the world, according to RTV Drenthe. They were reportedly cut off from the outside world and lived self-sufficiently thanks to a vegetable garden and some animals on the farm.
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