A resident looks at the caved-in compound of a house rented by George.
Firemen check the peeled tiles in the sitting room.
A hollow beneath the house at Crystal Lane in Sibu Jaya.
SIBU: A couple was shocked yesterday when the ground under their rented house in Sibu Jaya caved in, causing the floor in the sitting room to crack.
The incident occurred at 9am when the 25-year-old tenant was having breakfast with his wife in the kitchen.
He said they heard loud cracking sounds and ran out to the sitting room to check.
“We found the floor cracked and tiles peeled. Apparently, the earth beneath the house has moved due to the sinking and caving-in effect.”
The frightened couple called the police and the Fire and Rescue Department, but, there was nothing they could do.
The owner, a contractor who identified himself only as George, said the semi-detached, single-floor unit was no longer fit for occupation.
He said they would decide what to do next, adding that they only moved into the house a few months ago.
Apart from the house at Crystal Lane he was renting from his relative, two rows of houses at the same area are also badly affected by the sinking ground. He said the house owner had tried filling soil in the garden as the compound continued to sink but it did not improve the situation.