Misleading Video Shared as Recent Mount Semeru Volcanic Eruption
The Claim
A video depicts the moment that Mount Semeru volcano erupted in Indonesia.
News posted on
Emerging story
A video of a volcanic eruption is being shared widely on social media, including Facebook and Twitter. The video appears to depict the recent eruption of Mount Semeru in East Java, Indonesia, on Saturday, according to some of the people who saw it. Over a million people have viewed the video on YouTube.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. A thorough search using relevant keywords such as "close up volcanic eruptions" and "volcanic eruptions with timer", followed by a close comparison of the video in the claim and the results, led to the finding of the original video, as seen below.
The video, as seen in the screenshot, was uploaded on November 4, 2010, more than ten years ago. The video depicts the volcanic explosion of Mount Anak Krakatau in Indonesia, which is located between Sumatra and Java. Mount Merapi also experienced volcanic eruptions during the same time. According to news reports, Anak Krakatau's volcanic activity is increasing, with up to 700 daily seismic movements recorded.
The Misbar team confirms that the video does not depict the current Mount Semeru eruption but rather one from 2010. Saturday's eruption of Java's Mount Semeru killed 14 and injured 56.
