Bangalore : Nine people had a narrow escape when their 20-year-old house sunk six feet after the earth beneath caved in around 12.45 am on Saturday at Munishwara temple road at Subbayanapalya on Banaswadi main road.

According to the police, a family of nine was living on the ground floor, while two other families lived on the first and second floors. Subramanya, the owner of the building was staying with his wife, son and aunt. His brother-in-law Lokesh, his wife and their three children aged nine, four and two years also lived in the same building.

Speaking about the terrifying experience to Deccan Herald, Subramanya, who runs a hair-cutting saloon, said he had returned home at around 9 pm after work. He said that throughout the night they could hear the windowpanes vibrating.

Hours after the family went to bed, they were awoken by a thud at around 12.45 am. “I realised that the house had sunk. I along with my wife, aunt and two-year-old nephew managed to get out through a window. But my son, my brother-in-law and his wife along with the two other children were trapped inside, as the door was stuck in the earth,” he said.

Subramanya said that he immediately called the fire and emergency services officials who rushed to the spot, cut open the grills of a window and pulled the trapped residents to safety. Lokesh, who sustained a minor injury on his leg, is recovering.

The family also alerted other tenants to evacuate the building. A couple, residing on the first floor and a family of five who lived on the second floor, also escaped unhurt.

According to the Banaswadi police, the house is registered in the name of a government employee named Lokesh, who had purchased the house more than a year ago. The BBMP officials have now condemned the home and earmarked it for demolition.

The police said that there were two stormwater drains located close to the structure. Quoting neighbours, the police said that there had also been a lake bed close to the area a few years ago. Due to these two water bodies, the police suspect that the earth beneath the building had loosened.