Families fled their collapsing homes in terror after they began to crumble in the middle of the night.
Shocked neighbours found themselves scrambling for their lives in the dead of night after huge cracks began appearing in their walls.
As they grabbed for treasured possessions the floor opened up beneath them, showing the earth below.
One person recalled the moment the homes began to crumble.
"It was so surreal," they said.
"It was like something out of a film.
"We just had to grab the essentials, the paperwork for the insurance and so on, and get out of there as quickly as we could.
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"The cracks in the floor were getting bigger, it was literally crumbling underneath us.
"It's heartbreaking. We don't know what we've lost and what we will get back because we can't get in to see.
"But we are grateful it was noticed when it was, because it could have been so much worse."
Some residents of Saltcoats, Ayrshire suspect that the old coalmines beneath the properties are responsible for the issues.
One resident noticed cracks had appeared on their walls when they woke up in the middle of the night - and raised the alarm with neighbours.
The staircase of their upstairs villa flat later collapsed, with the back of the property sinking, while the ceiling of their downstairs neighbour caved in.
Emergency service personnel arrived at the scene in the seaside town and told residents to get out of the unsafe homes.
They evacuated 12 properties after the drama unfolded at around 1.50am, the street was cordoned off and road diversions were put in place.
Residents are staying with family and friends while repair work is carried out.
A police officer at the scene told locals that foam concrete had been sprayed into the foundations and fixed the structure.
He said: "Those houses won't move again. These guys are experts, they work all over the world."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Several residents in Sharphill Road, Saltcoats, have been evacuated from their homes after we received reports of building safety concerns around 1.50am on Saturday, September 25.
"Diversions are in place to allow further enquiries by the emergency services and partner agencies."
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said they were no longer in attendance at the scene.
The Coal Authority was contacted for comment.
