How Media Is Fueling Misinformation About the Recent Indonesian Volcanic Eruption
A viral video claiming to show Indonesia’s latest volcanic eruption spread across social media and mainstream media. But the footage was AI-generated, exposing how quickly unverified visuals can fuel misinformation.
The recent eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait has put the world on high alert. It has disrupted flights, forced major airports to close, blanketed parts of Indonesia with volcanic ash, and triggered widespread panic in coastal communities.
As authorities monitor ground movement and coordinate emergency responses, several dramatic videos purportedly showing the catastrophe have flooded online platforms and mainstream media channels. A fact-check of these posts revealed that the viral video was AI-generated and presented out of context.
On 8 September, an X user, Neeraj Goud Gollapelli (@NeerajGoudBJP), shared the video with a caption, ‘Erupting volcano in Indonesia! 🌋🔥Scenes showing just how terrifying the destruction can be when nature turns furious… 🌍’
This post quickly gained traction, with more than 87,900 views and 760 likes.
How major media outlets amplified the video
Numerous media outlets shared this false video on their social media accounts.
1. NewsMalayalam 24×7
In a now-deleted Instagram post, the Malayalam news channel ‘News Malayalam TV’ shared a video, claiming that it showed the actual Krakatoa volcanic eruption.
The Malayalam caption of the video translates as: “Footage of a volcanic eruption in Indonesia.” The video was uploaded on 8 September 2026 and deleted within an hour.
2. NDTV
On 8 September, one of NDTV’s official YouTube channels, @NDTVProfitIndia, shared a video showing the devastating consequences of the eruption in Indonesia. The video is titled ‘Indonesia volcano erupts: Anak Krakatau blasts ash 15 KM into the sky’.
As of 10 September, the video has amassed 333,000 likes and 518,000 views.
The comments section under the video featured alarmed viewers and sceptical users calling out the fake footage. One user, @Fuelsports, commented, ‘God pls save all living beings from natural disasters,’ while another, @Psychology_rules, called out the network directly: ‘Wasn’t expecting official news channels posting AI videos without even checking the authenticity of it’.
3. Forbes Middle East
The official English-language Facebook account of Forbes Middle East also circulated the AI-generated video on 9 September.
The post is captioned as ‘Dramatic footage captures the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait. The resulting ash cloud has disrupted air travel, forcing the closure of key transit hubs, including Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma airports in Jakarta. More than 2,900 flights have been cancelled or diverted, affecting over 340,000 passengers across the region as airlines work through significant backlogs. Disaster management officials said no casualties or injuries have been reported and that there is no immediate tsunami threat. A 3-kilometre safety exclusion zone remains in effect around the active crater.” The account presented the clip as authentic footage of the eruption in Indonesia.
As of 10 September, the post has received 3,300 likes and more than 600 shares.
Geoposition of the volcano contradicts video
The viral video appears to show a town located near the Anak Krakatoa volcano. A close examination of the volcano and the surrounding terrain on Bing Maps, however, showed no such town in the vicinity of the volcano.
The Krakatoa volcanic group is located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. The volcano itself is uninhabitable and entirely devoid of human settlements. In addition, the Krakatoa Volcano Authorities enforced a strict, permanent exclusion zone typically extending 5 kilometres around the crater, prohibiting anyone from living on or approaching the island.
In addition, we used Hive AI to assess whether the video was AI-generated.
The analysis estimated that the video had a 99.9% likelihood of being AI-generated. Hence, the viral video is false and misleading when presented as authentic footage of the volcanic eruption.
We found that the viral videos shared by the mainstream media outlets were AI-generated. It serves as a cautionary tale of the growing challenges for newsrooms. As AI tools become more sophisticated, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish real footage. It highlights the need for both newsrooms and the public to verify viral content before amplifying it.
