"Dutch police found a father and six adult children hidden in the basement of a remote farmhouse where they had reportedly spent years 'waiting for the end of time'..."

"Local media said the family were found after one of the sons went to a nearby pub in a confused state, drank five beers and then asked for help, saying he had not been outside for nine years... Some of those freed 'had no idea that other people existed,' the station added.... '[The son who went to the pub] said he'd never been to school and seemed very confused. He spoke in a childish way,' said [the bar owner].... Upon investigation police discovered a hidden staircase behind a cupboard leading to a cellar where a man said to be the family's father and five others, believed to be his children, were hiding.... The family had no contact with the outside world and were completely self-reliant with a vegetable garden and a goat...."

Yahoo News reports.

Top rated comments:

I find the "drank 5 beers" part of this story a bit strange. If he hadn't been outside in 9 years, where did he get the money to pay for the beer? Did he get drunk? 5 beers would put me under the table since I don't drink. I would think the same would be for him, unless the father gave the kids beer while locked up in the basement. Lots of unanswered questions.

And:

They weren't in the basement the whole time. They were farming that land above ground. They tended to the goat above ground. It would be more accurate (but less sensational) to say they pretty much stayed on their property for 9 years.

And (my favorite):

I have been just living my life and driving to work and paying my bills and watching TV and, of course, spending way too much time on Yahoo and......waiting for the end of time. What else you going to do?

Yeah, isn't that an Elvis Constello song?

The man from the television crawled into the train
I wonder who he's going to stick it in this time?
Everyone was looking for a little entertainment
So they'll probably pull his hands off
When they find out his name
And then they shut down the power all along the line
And we got stuck in the tunnel where no lights shine
They got to touching all the girls who were too scared to call out
Nobody was saying anything at all
We were waiting for the end of the world
Waiting for the end of the world
Waiting for the end of the world
Dear Lord, I sincerely hope you're coming
'Cause you really started something...