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       Authorities in the Netherlands have launched a major investigation after a family of seven was discovered living in the basement of an isolated farm, allegedly "waiting for the end of time."

       Police in Drenthe said on Twitter that someone reported they were worried about the living conditions of people who were living in "an enclosed space" on a farm located just outside the town of Ruinerwold.

       When police went to the home on the farm on Monday, they discovered six adults inside and a 58-year-old man who "did not want to cooperate with the investigation" and was subsequently arrested.

       "All scenarios are still open. Our research is in full swing and we cannot share more information at this time," police said.

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       The farm is located in Ruinerwold, a town in the northern Netherlands that has about 4,000 residents. The farm was on the outskirts of the village in an area known as Berghuizen, where less than 200 people lived, according to Dutch newspaper Dagblad van het Noorden.

       An aerial picture taken on October 15, 2019 shows a view of the farm where a father and six children had been living in the cellar, In Ruinerwold, northern Netherlands. (WILBERT BIJZITTER/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

       The discovery was made after the 58-year-old man's son, who is 25, walked from the farm to a pub in Ruinerwold, where he was "completely confused" and police were called, RTV Drenthe reported.

       The owner of the pub, Chris Westerbeek, told Dagblad van het Noorden the young man looked "unkempt," with long hair, and said he "needed help and had never been to school."

       "He said he needed help and wanted to put an end to the situation he was in," Westerbeek told the newspaper.

       A 25-year-old man walked from the farm into the town of Ruinerwold where he was "completely confused," according to the owner of a pub. (Google Street View)

       The 25-year-old added he slipped away at night because it "was not possible during the day," and that he could not go back to where he came from, according to Westerbeek.

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       When police went to the farm, they discovered a staircase to the basement behind a cupboard in the living room of the home, RTV reported.

       The father and the five children, all between the ages of 16 and 25, lived in the space and had no contact with the outside world, according to the television station. All of the man's children reportedly had no idea there were other humans out in the world.

       It was not known where the mother of the children was, but officials told RTV it's possible she's "buried" on the farm.

       A neighbor told Dagblad van het Noorden he only saw one man on the farm at all times and was "totally surprised" at the news of the discovery.

       "I am shaking on my legs," he told the newspaper.

       The farm had a "huge" vegetable garden and many sheds, but was described as rather "messy," according to the newspaper. RTV reported the family was completely self-sufficient, living off the vegetable garden and a goat.

       Police have not confirmed the relationship between the seven people, only saying the 58-year-old man was uncooperative. Police spokesman Ramona Venema told the broadcaster the incident remains under investigation.

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       A reporter who attempted to get near the farm on Tuesday said he was "being kept at a distance."

       Police said Tuesday afternoon on Twitter a "large investigative team" remains at the home and is "investigating the situation."