Fact Check: Viral Mount Semeru Eruption Video Was AI-Edited

January 13, 2026 | 11:50 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video showing a volcanic eruption accompanied by a fiery explosion circulated on Facebook [archive] and TikTok in December 2025. The video claimed to be footage of the eruption of Mount Semeru, East Java, Indonesia.

The 12-second video captures a highway filled with motorcyclists, while at the end of the road, plumes of eruption smoke can be seen. Amidst the thick ash, flashes of light appear repeatedly. "The wounds from the disasters in North Sumatra and West Sumatra have not yet healed, now you are faced with another disaster in Java," wrote the video's uploader.

However, was it true that Mount Semeru's eruption was accompanied by a fiery explosion?

FACT CHECK

Tempo verified the content using a Google reverse image search, direct visual observation, and an artificial intelligence (AI) content detection application. The results showed that while an eruption did occur at Mount Semeru, the video had been edited with AI.

Tempo discovered the original video uploaded by the TikTok account Trio Tewur, a travel agency for Mount Semeru and Bromo. The video was uploaded on November 19, 2025.

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation reported that Mount Semeru erupted on November 19, 2025, at 2:13 PM Western Indonesian Time. The eruption consisted of a series of hot clouds. This event matches the date the video was uploaded.

However, the original video does not show any flashes of fire within the hot clouds.

Furthermore, the two cars parked on the side of the road are Toyotas. The circulating version lists the cars as MON.

Analysis of the video using the detection tool, AI or NOT, yielded an 84 percent probability that the content was artificially generated. It is highly likely that the video was altered using Open AI's 4o app.

Analysis using the Was It AI tool also confirmed that the image was AI-generated, with a high degree of confidentiality. Meanwhile, Hive Moderation gave an aggregate figure of 99.9 percent that the video was AI-generated.

Mount Semeru Eruption Types

According to the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) website, Mount Semeru, which stands 3,676 meters above sea level (masl), has volcanic and Strombolian eruptions, occurring 3-4 times per hour.

Vulcanian refers to explosive eruptions that can destroy previously formed lava domes and lava flows (lava flows from the crater). Strombolian refers to eruptions that form new craters and lava flows.

Semeru has experienced several eruptions, including on November 19, December 5, and January 12, 2026. Mount Semeru Observation Post Officer Mukdas Sofian has urged the public to stay away from areas within 13 kilometers of the summit, as reported by Antara.

The public is also asked to maintain a minimum distance of 500 meters from rivers along the Besuk Kobokan watershed, due to the potential for pyroclastic flows and lava flows that could extend 17 km from the summit.

"The public is also prohibited from carrying out activities within a 5-kilometer radius of the crater/peak of Mount Semeru, due to the risk of ejected (incandescent) rocks," said Mukdas on Monday, January 12, 2025.

CONCLUSION

Tempo's verification concluded that the narrative claiming the circulating video shows the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang, East Java, is a misleading claim.

The video was altered from its original version using AI. In the original version, there were no flashes of fire among the pyroclastic flows. Furthermore, the eruption occurred on November 19, 2025. However, other accounts shared it in December 2025.

TEMPO FACT CHECK TEAM

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