Inter-village connecting road in OKU Selatan collapses; traffic completely halted

The inter-village road connecting Sipatuhu village with several villages in Banding Agung District, Ogan Komering Ulu Selatan Regency, South Sumatra, has collapsed due to subsidence, causing a complete halt to vehicle traffic. BPBD OKU Selatan Chief of Emergency and Logistics, Heri Pramono, said the heavy rainfall on Thursday (21 May) night caused the roadway to subside. The vital access route for residents of Sipatuhu and several other villages in Banding Agung collapsed, forming a large hole measuring 7.5 metres long, 4 metres wide, with a vertical depth of 5.5 metres. Although there were no fatalities, the disaster cut off traffic for both motorcycles and cars. Residents have to use distant and steeper alternative routes for daily activities. ‘This morning we deployed personnel to the disaster site,’ he said. BPBD OKU Selatan conducted a cross-sector rapid assessment to anticipate follow-on disasters that could worsen damage to the road. A joint team from BPBD OKU Selatan, the TNI, the Polri, and local village officials installed a barrier gate, police line, and warning banners on the roadside to educate the public to refrain from using the route for now to prevent loss of life. ‘Geometric measurements of the damage were also immediately carried out by the technical team from the OKU Selatan Dinas PUPR as the initial data basis for drafting a plan for permanent reconstruction,’ he added.