Agam Regency – Aipda Andre Gusman revealed a terrifying testimony when a galodo (flash flood) hit Nagari Salareh Aia Timur, Palembayan District, Agam Regency, West Sumatra. The high water discharge hit everything on the banks of the Batang River like ocean waves. Thursday afternoon, November 27, 2025, around 11:00 WIB, Andre’s cell phone rings with news of a disaster. One of the villages, Jorong Subarang Laweh, was hit by a landslide. Andre rushed to the spot along with Pelambayan Police Chief AKP Alwiz S as he lowered heavy equipment to the spot. In the afternoon the atmosphere was still safe. Scroll TO CONTINUE CONTENT “The landslide was around 11.00, I went out again, then I went back in at 14.00 and it was still safe. I went back because I needed a rope to move the fallen tree,” said Andre when he spoke to detikcom, Sunday, December 8, 2025. The work to clear the landslide was almost finished. There were no casualties at that time, only the district road to Sitalang was cut off due to a landslide. A piece of rock remains from a flash flood that washed away rice fields and residents’ houses in Nagari Salareh Aia, Palembayan District, Agam Regency, Sunday (8/12/2025). Photo: Mei Amelia/detikcom Water falls like waves By 17:30 WIB, Andre and the police chief had not yet returned to their headquarters. It began to rain heavily, the sky was dark, and there was a loud roar as the first galodo hit. “It wasn’t back then because the rain started to get heavy, it got dark and I heard loud booming sounds, that’s why it was called the first galodo, I didn’t see it,” he said. Andre predicts that the cliffs on the river bank will collapse as high as 20 meters when hit by the galodo. He and the police chief rushed to evacuate residents to a safer place. “The cliff on my left was about to slide, so I saved the residents, let’s get out quickly,” Andre invited residents to save themselves. Andre predicts the water discharge will be tens of meters high. The water rolled like sea waves and washed away logs and stones. “Like a wave, rolling like a wave on the beach. So he got higher and higher, carrying logs and stones,” he said. Missing Bridge, Tanah Rata Not long ago, the flow of water flowing through the river kept increasing. Andre calls it the ‘third galodo’. “It turned out that the residents from above looked like it was like a loose dam, like that. So we chased it, the people came out from under it, I told them not to, ‘don’t go down, galodo’, he said,” he said. Even though it was forbidden by residents, Andre had to look at the conditions on the ground to ensure the safety of his residents. Sure enough, his eyes saw it for himself, the water washed away the bridge, houses and rice fields were leveled with water. Disappear. “Because my curiosity got stronger because I thought the people below were chasing them again. When I got there I saw it was flat, the bridge was gone, only an orange tent was visible. I saw mud, wood and stones as the rest,” he recalls. Residents’ houses and paddy fields in Nagari Salareh Aia, Palembayan District, Agam were completely destroyed after being hit by a galodo on Thursday (11/27/2025). Photo: doc. Riau police evacuate 7 bodies Day turned to night. The electricity supply suddenly broke, leaving the village in complete darkness. In the midst of tense conditions, Andre tried to calm the panic of the residents. While it is hoped that the flash flood will disappear soon, Andre and the police chief and several residents search for the victims who were swept away by the galodo. One by one, the Galodo victims were found, bringing the total to 7 people. One victim survived but died when taken to the prayer room. “The first day we searched the galodo with the community, the police chief jumped down, I also shared the location, there was a body there, his name was Heru. When he was picked up, he was still shouting ‘Bang’, when he was picked up, when he arrived at the prayer room he was dead,” he said. Next, the two police personnel evacuated the victim named Nico, then Si’at. Including Aldi, the father of Fathan’s baby, who was rescued but died in the early hours of Friday (27/11) after complaining of chest pain. At that point, Andre and the police chief, Alwiz, were trapped. The bridge connecting Salareh Aia and East Salareh Aia prevented them from going anywhere, until finally the police and residents decided to bury the seven bodies on Friday afternoon. Also watch the video “The story of Joris wading through a flood to save his pregnant wife in Agam” (mea/dhn)