Playing on fears of a forthcoming eruption of Bali’s Mt. Agung, a “hoax” video has been circulating the net, of a thundering volcano erupting with lava running down the mountain’s slopes.
People had been sharing it as “Mt. Agung erupting,” but it turns out that was just a dose of fake news.
While we are still very much on alert for an eruption in Bali—the volcano is at the highest level and thousands of people have evacuated from surrounding communities—the video purported to be Agung, that shows ash blasting off into the sky turns out to be a recording of a 2015 eruption of Mt. Sinabung in Sumatra.
People uploaded and shared the video on platforms like Whatsapp, Facebook, and YouTube over the weekend, with some warning people in the East Java city of Surabaya to watch out, falsely claiming that the winds were carrying the ash from the “eruption” over in that direction:
“It’s understood that Mt. Agung erupted tonight. And the wind direction is going west. Headed towards Surabaya. In Surabaya and surrounding areas, prepare a mask. Since the volcanic ash will reach Surabaya and looking back at the eruption of ’63, the ash was very thick and no sunlight was visible.
The Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) has debunked the video, sharing to its page and Twitter account with a screenshot from the video and giant red letters, “HOAX.” They also issued an official statement on Monday afternoon saying that Agung has not yet erupted.
BNPB: Masyarakat Jangan Mudah Percaya Berita HOAX, Gunung Agung Belum Meletus https://t.co/TZmlWv4L5i pic.twitter.com/y5og2WJO7T
— BPBD DKI Jakarta (@BPBDJakarta) September 25, 2017
“People are urged not to pass on misleading information related to Mt. Agung, especially on social media,” the statement reads.
“A message broadcasted through WhatsApp that says Mt. Agung erupted last night is a hoax. Then YouTube there is a video hoax showing the eruption of Mt. Agung, but the video is really the eruption of Mt. Sinabung in 2015,” wrote Sutopo Purwo Husodo, head of of the Data & Information Center for BNPB.
“There is also a photo of Mt. Soputan erupting in North Sulawesi in 2015,” Sutopo said, explaining yet another “fake news” post online about Agung.
For the latest information about the condition and status of Mt. Agung, the public is advised to check the official websites of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and MAGMA, from the Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).
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