A huge section of a highway collapsed and turned into a massive sinkhole in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The road, damaged likely due to recent flash floods and landslides, gave way suddenly, creating a 20-30 metre wide gap separating the two ends.
A video of the highway crumbling piece by piece has surfaced on social media. It begins with cracks appearing on the road, quickly widening as sections of the asphalt start to give way. People on bikes and in cars were seen trying to move and running to save their lives.
Some were seen stopping abruptly, while others hurried to turn around. “It is a miracle that nobody was injured,” said one bystander. Within 30–40 seconds, the whole stretch of the highway collapsed, leaving a big hole filled with dirt and debris.
The road, likely near the Twin Bridges area, was completely cut off by a landslide. Talking about the situation, a bystander said, “Nobody knew what was happening at first.”
Torrential rains exceeding 500mm over just a few days saturated the slope. The wet soil became unstable and collapsed, causing mudflows that destroyed the asphalt overnight. The mud is about 1.5 meters deep, and the area is hard to reach, making rescue and aid delivery very difficult.
Heavy monsoon rains and Cyclone Senyar have hit parts of Thailand, affecting around 3.2 million people and 12 provinces. Around 1 million people have been evacuated from high-risk areas, according to The Guardian.
According to the UN, “At least 185 people have died, with 367 missing and over four million people impacted. More than 219,000 residents have been displaced as rivers burst their banks and low-lying coastal areas flooded.”
The deadly floods in Indonesia were mainly caused by heavy monsoon rains and a rare tropical storm, but deforestation also made the floods and landslides worse.
Indonesia is one of the countries that loses the most forest every year. Mining, palm oil plantations, and forest fires have cleared large areas of rainforest over the years. In 2024, more than 240,000 hectares of primary forest were lost.
“The massive change in forest cover is the main factor in the occurrence of flash floods,” said Kiki Taufik, head of Greenpeace Indonesia’s forest campaign.