A heavily used rural highway in West Sumatra’s Agam Regency was literally erased from existence on December 3 when a 20-metre-wide section of asphalt collapsed into a rapidly expanding sinkhole, forcing motorists and pedestrians to flee in panic as the ground disintegrated beneath them during Indonesia’s worst flood and landslide disaster in decades.

Dramatic video footage circulating widely online shows the terrifying sequence: cracks suddenly spider-webbed across the far lane, chunks of road tilted downward, and within 30–40 seconds the entire two-lane stretch slid into a muddy ravine. Motorbike riders slammed on brakes, drivers threw vehicles into reverse, and bystanders sprinted backward as the failure raced toward them, stopping only metres from where they had stood moments earlier. Miraculously, every person escaped unharmed.

Authorities attributed the collapse to extreme soil saturation after more than 300 millimetres of rain fell in a single day, compounded by widespread deforestation that has reduced natural water absorption capacity by up to 30 percent in vulnerable zones, according to peer-reviewed research. The incident has underscored how environmental degradation is amplifying the destructive power of weather events across northern Sumatra.

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The highway failure occurred amid a catastrophic crisis triggered by Tropical Cyclone Senyar, which made landfall on November 26 after forming in the Strait of Malacca, followed by weeks of relentless monsoon downpours intensified by La Niña conditions. As of December 5, the disaster has claimed at least 807 lives nationwide, left 647 people missing, injured over 2,600, and displaced more than 1.2 million residents, with total economic losses in Sumatra alone exceeding USD 4.13 billion.

Rescue operations remain in full force across Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra provinces, supported by military deployments, emergency road clearance teams, and temporary free Starlink internet access in cut-off areas. Provincial states of emergency have been extended as authorities warn of continuing landslide and flooding risks in the saturated terrain.

Also Read: Indonesia’s Death Toll Rises to 164 in Sumatra’s Catastrophic Floods and Landslides; 79 Still Missing