Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatau erupted multiple times in September 2026, spewing fountains of lava and plumes of volcanic ash, but a video circulating on social media purportedly showing the incident is fabricated. The person who made the clip told AFP it is AI-generated and does not show an actual eruption. It also appears to show the volcano is next to a residential area, when in fact Anak Krakatau is located on an uninhabited island.
"A very close-up shot captures the terrifying moment a volcano erupts in Indonesia. Nature at its most destructive," reads a Facebook post shared on September 8, 2026.
An attached clip shows a volcanic eruption viewed from a nearby residential neighbourhood, with lava spewing into the sky and residents appearing to flee.
Mount Anak Krakatau had several eruptions on September 8, sending volcanic ash across several parts of Indonesia, including Greater Jakarta and Lampung, according to residents who reported thick layers of ash in their areas (archived here and here).
Thousands of domestic and international flights -- particularly those operating from Indonesia's main airport, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport -- were cancelled as a result of the volcanic activity, leaving more than 340,000 passengers stranded.
However, the video, which has also been widely shared in multiple languages including Thai, Burmese and Chinese, was in fact AI-generated.
A reverse image search on Google found that the original video was shared on Facebook on September 7 ( archived link).
The video is labelled "AI content", while the profile that shared the clip states "AI-powered" in its bio.
Its owner told AFP on September 12 the video is "entirely AI-generated and does not depict a real volcanic eruption".
"I'm originally from Montreal, Canada, and I created the video," he said. "The content was clearly labelled as AI-generated on my original post."
"The fact that some viewers believed it was real reflects how rapidly generative video technology is improving. It was never intended to be presented as authentic footage."
A keyword search led to an Instagram account which shared several clips of the actual Mount Anak Krakatau eruption in September (archived here and here).
Its owner Destinasi Ocy told AFP on September 9 that she filmed the eruption from a fishing boat near the volcano on September 4.
She said the circulating clip was "fake", noting that the volcano is located in the middle of the sea and "the eruption can't be seen from the land".
The Jakarta-based content creator, who documents fishing activities around Indonesia, said she and 12 others had been fishing near Krakatau when rough seas forced them to seek shelter near the volcano. Around 11pm, they heard loud rumbling as it erupted.
"When eruption material started falling onto our boat, safety became our only priority," she said, adding that the group immediately packed up its equipment and evacuated the area.
The volcano site is located on an uninhabited island between Indonesia's Sumatra and Java islands. The nearest populated areas are in Lampung on Sumatra and Banten on Java. In contrast, the viral video appears to show homes situated very close to the erupting volcano, a scene inconsistent with the geography of the area ( archived link).
Closer examination of the footage reveals several visual inconsistencies characteristic of AI-generated content.
People standing near the cars appear to shimmer and distort around the fifth to ninth second mark, while other people seen fleeing towards the end of the video have distorted hands.
Meta's AI analysis tool has also flagged the circulating video was made using one of its models ( archived link).
AFP has previously debunked other false claims about volcano eruptions that use AI-generated content.