September 10, 2026 | 05:57 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video showing massive flames was shared by an English-language account on X [archived] on September 7, 2026. The clip was claimed to be footage of a lava eruption from Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait.The account holder stated that the recording captured the sound of rumbling, lava spewing, and massive ash clouds disrupting flights in Indonesia while the volcano was at Level III (Alert) status. Is the video actually footage of a Mount Anak Krakatau eruption?FACT CHECKTempo verified the content using reverse image searches and confirmation from credible sources. The results indicate that the events shown in the video—posted by an account based in India—are a compilation of fires in various parts of Indonesia, not an eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.Video VerificationThe first clip is identical to broadcasts by METRO TV and CNN Indonesia from September 5, 2026, which captured a fire involving stalls and semi-permanent structures on Jalan Srengseng Raya, Kembangan, West Jakarta, on Saturday, September 5, 2026.Strong winds caused the fire to rapidly form a massive fire whirl. A total of 22 fire trucks and 110 personnel were deployed until the fire was brought under control at 01:35 WIB (Western Indonesian Time).The second clip shows a fire at Kasongan Market in Katingan Hilir District, Central Kalimantan, on January 25, 2026. A similar video was uploaded by the Instagram account @pandemictalk on January 27, 2026, and reported by Detik.com.The fire was suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. Markus, the Chief Executive of the Katingan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), reported that 15 houses and shophouses, as well as two school buildings (MIN and MTs Al Badar), were destroyed by the fire.There were no fatalities in the incident. However, dozens of residents suffered material losses. Hundreds of students also had to relocate their classrooms for school activities.Eruption of Mount Anak KrakatauThe Geological Agency reported that Mount Anak Krakatau erupted continuously from 11:07 PM WIB on September 4, 2026, to 12:04 AM WIB on September 6, 2026. Lana Saria, Head of the Geological Agency, explained that the eruption had reverted to the Strombolian type, signaling that the continuous series of ash-spreading explosions was beginning to subside, although the alert status remained at "Siaga" (Level III). The Strombolian type involves the periodic ejection of molten lava through small- to medium-scale explosions.Geological Agency data recorded that Anak Krakatau was obscured by fog on September 7–8, 2026. During that period, the team recorded two eruption earthquakes, four emission earthquakes, 76 low-frequency earthquakes, 100 hybrid earthquakes, nine deep volcanic earthquakes, and eight shallow volcanic earthquakes.CONCLUSIONTempo's verification concludes that the claim regarding the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau is misleading.**Do you have information or claims that you want to have fact-checked? Contact our ChatBot. You can also send criticism, objections, or feedback for this Fact-Checking article via email to [email protected].
