Massive Sinkhole That First Appeared in the 2000s Grows to Over 7-Acres-Wide Following Massive Floods

NEED TO KNOW

• A massive sinkhole in Indonesia has expanded to about 7.5 acres wide following massive flooding that hit the country last year.

• The chasm opened in the early 2000s and grew “faster in two months than in the previous 13 years.”

• It has engulfed coffee and chili land, roads and threatens other structures.

A massive sinkhole in Indonesia has expanded across several hectares, swallowing up more farmland and roads surrounding it in recent months.

The expansion of the sinkhole – which initially opened in central Aceh regency in the early 2000s – has accelerated in recent months since massive floods hit Indonesia in 2025, according to France 24, the BBC and Reuters.

“When the earthquake happened in 2013, this landslide [sinkhole] had already arrived, and indeed after November 26, 2025 [when mass flooding occurred]its movement became faster, so it moved faster in two months than in the previous 13 years,” Aceh center agent Haili Yoga told Reuters.

As of February, the sinkhole now measures about 7.5 acres (or about 5 to 6 football field lengths) wide and about 100 meters deep, according to France 24.

A road and several hectares of agricultural land have so far been swallowed up by the sinkhole. However, its expansion continues to threaten a nearby electricity pylon and other farmland, and put pressure on farmers living in the area, including 40-year-old Sumiati.

“We really hope that the government will provide us with compensation for our losses or find us more land, because all of ours have been destroyed and we cannot plant anything anymore. It is not certain that we will be able to plant anything next year,” Sumiati told Reuters.

The Indonesian Geological Agency indicated that the expanding sinkhole phenomenon is linked to volcanic rocks present in the area, which become particularly unstable upon contact with water, France24 reported. This then encourages “repeated ground movements”.

“So whether it rains or not, landslides still happen here [at the sinkhole]” Suprapto, a 53-year-old farmer, told Reuters. “The ground here has no rocks, and sometimes when a landslide occurs, it is accompanied by a rumbling sound similar to an earthquake.”

“Every time there is a landslide… I saw yesterday that from here to the edge of the landslide it was about 15 meters, but now it is only 10 to 11 meters. To the ministers and council members, please remedy this immediately. If you want to remedy this, do not delay, because the Ketol area here produces chili peppers and can accommodate 800 to 1,000 workers to harvest the chili pepper,” he added.

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Indonesian authorities installed a safety barrier near the sinkhole, warning residents to stay away from the edge, the BBC reported. Experts warn the sinkhole could continue to grow if water flow is not controlled.

Yoga told Reuters that the affected farmland grew “coffee, chili peppers and several other products,” and they collected data on the sinkhole and submitted it to the government for analysis.

“I hope technical guidelines for managing affected communities will arrive soon,” Yoga added.

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