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West Sumatra Road Collapses, Cutting Off Access to Bukittinggi
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Disasters & Emergencies

West Sumatra Road Collapses, Cutting Off Access to Bukittinggi

From CNN Indonesia · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Ongoing story
  • A provincial road in Agam Regency, West Sumatra, Indonesia, has collapsed due to heavy rain, severing the main access route to Bukittinggi city for four-wheeled vehicles.
  • The collapse, which occurred in the Labuah Sampiak area, resulted in a 15-meter deep section of the road being washed away, leaving it impassable for cars and only accessible by motorcycles.
  • Authorities are coordinating with local and provincial governments to expedite repairs and create alternative routes, as a secondary road is also unusable for cars.

A vital provincial road connecting Agam Regency to Bukittinggi city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, has been severely damaged, leaving residents and travelers stranded. Heavy rainfall on Wednesday afternoon caused a significant portion of the road in the Labuah Sampiak area to collapse, creating a 15-meter deep chasm.

The road surface has collapsed with a depth of 15 meters and in other parts there are hills, so it cannot be passed by four-wheeled vehicles and can only be passed by two-wheeled vehicles.

— AKBP MuariAgam Police Chief AKBP Muari described the extent of the road damage.

The main route is now impassable for four-wheeled vehicles, with only motorcycles able to navigate the remaining narrow section. This disruption significantly impacts access for residents in Palembayan District and the wider Agam Regency to the popular tourist city of Bukittinggi.

For now, there is no alternative road, because the ring road in Batu Kambing cannot be passed by four-wheeled vehicles either.

— AKBP MuariAgam Police Chief AKBP Muari explained the lack of alternative routes.

Local police chief AKBP Muari stated that the damage has also rendered a secondary district road, connecting Koto Alam to Lubuk Basung, unusable for cars. This leaves no immediate alternative routes for vehicles.

Water channels must be made quickly, so as not to erode the road embankment. Considering it is a provincial road, it has been reported to the West Sumatra Provincial Government so that an alternative road can be made immediately.

— AKBP MuariAgam Police Chief AKBP Muari emphasized the need for swift action to prevent further damage and create alternatives.

Authorities are working with the Agam Regency government and the West Sumatra provincial government to address the situation. Efforts are underway to construct water channels to mitigate further erosion of the road's remaining sections and prevent additional landslides. The urgency for repairs and the establishment of alternative routes is paramount due to the critical nature of this access road.

The road surface is only a few meters left because it has collapsed several times after the hydrometeorological disaster hit the area at the end of November 2025.

— Rizal IslamiWali Nagari Salareh Aia Rizal Islami explained the recurring nature of the damage.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNN Indonesia in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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