Old Indonesian landslide clip misrepresented as deadly mining disaster
"Rockfall in Mount Kuda. The information is 8 dead, 12 injured, and 10 still missing. May the deceased get the best place in the sight of God," reads the Indonesian-language caption to an Instagram video shared on May 31, 2025.
The video shows a rocky cliff collapsing while several people in the foreground run away.
The video circulated after a landslide at a limestone mine in Mount Kuda in Cirebon on May 30 that local media outlet bisnis.com reported killed 21 people and left four missing (archived link).
The company overseeing the mine was operating legally, but safety standards were lacking, according to West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, who said he had ordered its closure (archived link).
Similar posts purportedly showing the landslide were also shared on Facebook, TikTok and X.
The video, however, does not show the May 30 landslide.
A combination of reverse image searches using keyframes from the falsely shared video and keyword searches on Google led to the same footage published on June 20, 2023 by an Instagram account that shares information about West Java (archived link).
"These are the seconds before rockfall occurred in Mount Kuda, Bobos Village, Dukupuntang District, Cirebon Regency, on Monday (June 19, 2023). There were no fatalities in this incident," reads its Indonesian-language caption.
The footage was also used by local media outlet Tribun Jateng and Dutch digital media company KameraOne in June 2023 (archived here and here).
According to local media platform Kumparan, the landslide was caused by heavy rainfall and an undercutting mining method (archived link). No fatalities were recorded.
AFP has debunked other false claims that misrepresented old landslide footage here and here.
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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Old Indonesian landslide clip misrepresented as deadly mining disaster
"Rockfall in Mount Kuda. The information is 8 dead, 12 injured, and 10 still missing. May the deceased get the best place in the sight of God," reads the Indonesian-language caption to an Instagram video shared on May 31, 2025. The video shows a rocky cliff collapsing while several people in the foreground run away. The video circulated after a landslide at a limestone mine in Mount Kuda in Cirebon on May 30 that local media outlet reported killed 21 people and left four missing (archived link). The company overseeing the mine was operating legally, but safety standards were lacking, according to West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, who said he had ordered its closure (archived link). Similar posts purportedly showing the landslide were also shared on Facebook, TikTok and X. The video, however, does not show the May 30 landslide. A combination of reverse image searches using keyframes from the falsely shared video and keyword searches on Google led to the same footage published on June 20, 2023 by an Instagram account that shares information about West Java (archived link). "These are the seconds before rockfall occurred in Mount Kuda, Bobos Village, Dukupuntang District, Cirebon Regency, on Monday (June 19, 2023). There were no fatalities in this incident," reads its Indonesian-language caption. The footage was also used by local media outlet Tribun Jateng and Dutch digital media company KameraOne in June 2023 (archived here and here). According to local media platform Kumparan, the landslide was caused by heavy rainfall and an undercutting mining method (archived link). No fatalities were recorded. AFP has debunked other false claims that misrepresented old landslide footage here and here.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Old Indonesian landslide clip misrepresented as deadly mining disaster
"Rockfall in Mount Kuda. The information is 8 dead, 12 injured, and 10 still missing. May the deceased get the best place in the sight of God," reads the Indonesian-language caption to an Instagram video shared on May 31, 2025. The video shows a rocky cliff collapsing while several people in the foreground run away. The video circulated after a landslide at a limestone mine in Mount Kuda in Cirebon on May 30 that local media outlet reported killed 21 people and left four missing (archived link). The company overseeing the mine was operating legally, but safety standards were lacking, according to West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, who said he had ordered its closure (archived link). Similar posts purportedly showing the landslide were also shared on Facebook, TikTok and X. The video, however, does not show the May 30 landslide. A combination of reverse image searches using keyframes from the falsely shared video and keyword searches on Google led to the same footage published on June 20, 2023 by an Instagram account that shares information about West Java (archived link). "These are the seconds before rockfall occurred in Mount Kuda, Bobos Village, Dukupuntang District, Cirebon Regency, on Monday (June 19, 2023). There were no fatalities in this incident," reads its Indonesian-language caption. The footage was also used by local media outlet Tribun Jateng and Dutch digital media company KameraOne in June 2023 (archived here and here). According to local media platform Kumparan, the landslide was caused by heavy rainfall and an undercutting mining method (archived link). No fatalities were recorded. AFP has debunked other false claims that misrepresented old landslide footage here and here.
Associated Press
05-06-2025
- Associated Press
Indonesia arrests foreign nationals in Bali on drugs charges that could carry the death penalty
DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities on the tourist island of Bali on Thursday announced the arrests of several foreign nationals, including an Australian, an Indian, and an American, on suspicion of possessing narcotics, charges that could carry the death penalty. Customs officers at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport arrested an Indian national with the initials H.V., who was carrying a duffel bag, in the customs and excise inspection area on May 29. The officers found narcotic-related items in his belongings, authorities said. Following up on the interrogation of H.V., later that day, officers from the National Narcotics Agency of Bali Province arrested an Australian man with the initials P.R., who has been visiting Bali since 1988. P.R. asked H.V. to bring the duffel bag from Los Angeles to Bali, said I Made Sinar Subawa, an official from the narcotics agency, at a news conference. During a search at a house where he stayed, officers found some narcotics in the form of hashish, a cannabis concentrate product, that belonged to P.R. and had been purchased over the Telegram messaging app. The hashish was shipped from Los Angeles and Philippines before finally received in Bali, Subawa said. Officers seized 191 grams (6.7 ounces) of hashish along with some candies consisting of tetrahydrocannabinol, and 488 grams (17.2 ounces) of marijuana. Both P.R. and H.V. are now suspected of dealing in narcotics, based on the evidence that was found with them, Subawa said. 'P.R. is suspected of violating Indonesia's Narcotics Law which carries the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for a minimum of four years and a maximum of 12 years,' said Subawa. Along with H.V. and P.R., the agency also arrested W.M., an American, on May 23 while he was collecting a package from a post office in Bali. An officer opened the package carried by W.M. and found seven pieces of silver packaging containing a total of 99 orange amphetamine pills and secured one white Apple iPhone brand cellphone. The agency, at a news conference in the city of Denpasar on Thursday presented the evidence, including marijuana and hashish, seized from the suspects. All suspects will undergo legal proceedings in Indonesia, including trial and sentencing. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population. The Southeast Asian country has extremely strict drug laws, and convicted smugglers can face severe penalties, including the possibility of execution by firing squad. On Tuesday, three British nationals accused of smuggling nearly a kilogram (over two pounds) of cocaine into Indonesia were charged Tuesday in a court on Bali, while on May 27, an Australian man was arrested on suspicion of smuggling cocaine. If convicted, any or all of them could face the death penalty. About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, latest figures from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections show. Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016. ___ Tarigan reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.
