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Indonesia Declares Red Zone as Expanding Aceh Sinkhole Devastates Farms and Key Road

Geologists trace the collapse to prolonged rains saturating erodible subsurface layers beneath Pondok Balik.

Overview

  • The crater now exceeds 30,000 square meters in area and is about 100 meters deep, with further growth reported.
  • Authorities have cordoned off the site as a high‑risk red zone and closed it to the public.
  • Subsidence has swallowed extensive coffee, chili and sugarcane plots, stripping many smallholders of their land.
  • A section of the Bener Meriah–Central Aceh main road was destroyed and a high‑voltage tower was relocated as power lines face exposure.
  • Government and specialist teams are studying countermeasures such as water diversion, engineered fill and targeted re‑greening, with no fatalities reported and experts warning of continued ground movement.