In the wake of the tragic crash of Lion Air JT-610 yesterday, which is feared to have taken the lives of all 189 people on board, several hoaxes about the doomed flight have been spreading on social media purporting to show images of the plane’s body, survivors and even video of the victims moments before the crash.
On top of the false hope or pain these hoaxes can inflict on the victims; loved ones, Indonesian authorities are reminding netizens not to share this kind of false information because it could potentially land them in jail. The Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) released a statement yesterday regarding the hoaxes about JT-610, saying individuals who spread such fake news can and would be prosecuted under Indonesia’s controversial Law on Electronic Transactions (UU ITE), which carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison.
The National Police issued a similar reminder, with head spokesperson Argo Yuwono telling the media today that sharing hoax information about JT-610 can lead to criminal penalties.
Mainstream Indonesian media has been doing a fairly good job at debunking these hoaxes as they proliferate but special praise must go to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the head spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), who has become renowned not only for his fast, comprehensive and accurate conveyance of information in times of crisis but also for definitively debunking hoaxes following disasters.
Here are five of the biggest hoaxes about JT-610 along with Pak Sutopo’s explanations about them.
Video ini BUKAN penumpang pesawat Lion Air JT 610. Tetapi ini penumpang pesawat Lion Air JT 353 Padang-Jakarta yang turbulensi dan semua penumpang selamat beberapa waktu yang lalu. Tidak ada video/foto kondisi penumpang sebelum JT 610 jatuh. Jangan ikut menyebarkan hoax. pic.twitter.com/VbGYaBlVop
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018
This is not video from JT-610 but another Lion Air flight, JT-353 from Padang to Jakarta, that experienced severe turbulence but did not suffer any casualties. As Sutopo notes, there are no videos or photos of the passengers of JT-610 before it crashed.
Dua foto ini bukan penumpang pesawat JT 610. Jika anda menerima foto berikut dan mengatakan ini kondisi penumpang Lion Air sebelum jatuh. Itu semua bohong. Hoax. Foto ini kondisi penumpang pesawat Sriwijaya saat turbulensi beberapa waktu lalu. Semua penumpang dan pesawat selamat. pic.twitter.com/zLXNRKqzVd
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018
These images are from a Sriwijaya Air flight that also experienced turbulence some time ago but which also suffered no casualties.
Di sosial media beredar foto ini yang menyebutkan sebagai pesawat Lion Air JT-610. Info itu tidak benar. Itu Hoax. Foto ini adalah bangkai pesawat Lion Air JT-904 yang mengalami musibah di Bandar Udara I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Bali, pada 13/4/2013. Jangan menyebarkan hoax. pic.twitter.com/rkHdTfGI1d
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018
This photo, supposedly showing the recovered body of JT-610, is actually that of Lion Air JT-904, which crashed into water short of runway while on its final approach to land at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport on April 13, 2013. Everybody on board the plane survived the crash.
Banyak postingan foto di media sosial bahwa ada bayi penumpang pesawat JT-610 yang selamat. Foto bayi ini adalah bayi yang selamat dari tenggelamnya kapal KM Lestari Maju, di Perairan Selayar, pada Selasa 3/7/2018. Jadi info tersebut adalah Hoax. Jangan menyebarkan hoax. pic.twitter.com/SziiS6Uoog
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 30, 2018
This photo being spread online supposedly shows a baby that survived JT-610’s crash. It is actually a baby who was rescued from the ferry KM Lestari Maju that sank in the waters off of South Sulawesi on July 3. The disaster took 36 lives while the boat’s other 167 passengers survived.
