Flash Floods in Padang Panjang Leave 36 Residents Unaccounted For

PADANG PANJANG, KOMPAS - As many as 36 residents in RT 20 who live around the site of the flash flood in Silaing Bawah Village, West Padang Panjang District, Padang Panjang City, West Sumatra, are unaccounted for. Additionally, dozens of houses in the area around the Anai Valley have been completely swept away by the flash flood.

The Secretary of Silaing Bawah Village, Nurmiati Amin, in Padang Panjang, Saturday (29/11/2025), stated that there are 36 residents of RT 20 living around the bridge who have been reported missing by the local RT chairman and the community. "They have not been found and cannot be contacted," said Nurmiati.

Nurmiati explained that there are 25 houses that were swept away and 5 severely damaged due to the flash flood in RT 20, which is located around the twin bridge on the national road Padang-Bukittinggi. In total, there are 202 residents living in RT 20.

According to Nurmiati, the majority of residents of RT 20 who survived are taking refuge at the Silaing Bawah sub-district office. A total of 99 residents of RT 20 are sheltering at the village office, 55 residents have sought refuge with family, and 7 residents have returned home.

Based on data from the West Sumatra Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), as of Friday night, there have been a total of 7 fatalities and 3 injuries in the flash flood that occurred on Thursday (27/11/2025) afternoon. Of that number, not all were residents of Padang Panjang.

The flash flood in the area around the Anai Valley was triggered by heavy rain that occurred over the past week. The floodwaters came from a tributary that is the source of the Batang Anai River.

Besides residents' homes, there are numerous food stalls and prayer rooms around the twin bridges on the border between Padang Panjang and Tanah Datar. These locations often serve as rest areas or shelters for drivers during rain when passing through the Anai Valley area.

The number of victims may be greater than the data from official reports. Pendi (44), a survivor, stated that the flash flood occurred on Thursday around 11:30 AM.

"There were crowds at the location. There were perhaps 30 riders who stopped there. There were dozens of motorcycles and ten cars that stopped at the site," said Pendi, who traveled by motorcycle from Pekanbaru to Padang Pariaman.

These people stopped being hit by flash floods

Pendi stated that, in addition to the heavy rain, he and other drivers stopped at a stall at the scene because they saw a red flag on the road. On the road leading to Padang (downstream), there was a fallen tree blocking the way. "It was the people who stopped here that were hit by the flash flood," he said.

Suheri (53), a resident of Silaing Bawah Village, stated that until now his father, mother, two younger siblings, nephew, and brother-in-law have not been found. The parents' house and his younger sibling's shop around this bridge have been completely swept away by the flash flood. "As of now, not a single one has been found," he said.