Melbourne woman trapped under floor boards of house for four days

The woman was trapped under this house in Miller St in Essendon for four days. Photo / Google

Victorian police are investigating a strange case of why a woman was trapped under a derelict Melbourne house for four days.

The woman, aged in her 40s, was freed from under the run-down Essendon house on Miller St on Saturday night, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade said.

It's believed she crawled underneath and became trapped but police have not yet confirmed the story.

The woman was discovered by a relative of the homeowner who heard scratching beneath the wooden floorboards of the house and called for help.

Firefighters said it was a "strange situation" and they launched an "intricate rescue plan" after they were called to the home about 7pm.

They freed the woman within an hour after cutting through the floorboards and through a beam of the dilapidated house.

The woman is believed to have been trapped under the house for several days, exposed to the cold. She initially told police she was stuck under the house for four days.

Brigade commander Roger Chitty said the woman "was very fortunate" to have been saved.

"Apart from the dehydration I'm sure she would have been suffering from the cold and we're lucky that we found her when we did," he told the ABC.

She was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a non-life threatening condition.
Police said they didn't know exactly why she was under the floor and they are now investigating. Chitty said the woman was "extremely dehydrated and incoherent" and told Fairfax Media authorities "weren't able to make conversation with her".

Police were hoping to talk to her today to find out why she was under the decaying home.