Lumajang Government Confirms Viral Semeru Eruption Video is Hoax

The Lumajang Regency Government has confirmed that a video of the Mount Semeru eruption circulating virally on social media, uploaded by the YouTube account @bencanapopuler on 3 July 2026 with a narrative seemingly showing the latest eruption, is a hoax. The public is urged not to easily believe or disseminate unverified disaster information to avoid causing panic, said Head of the Lumajang Regency BPBD, Isnugroho, in a short message received in Lumajang on Saturday. He stated that the BPBD Lumajang’s investigation showed the video did not match the actual activity conditions of Mount Semeru based on official data from the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG). For information on Mount Semeru’s activity, official data from PVMBG, BPBD Lumajang Regency, and the Lumajang Regency Government should be used as the primary reference to prevent public panic. BPBD Lumajang conducted verification by matching the narrative in the video with the official report on Mount Semeru’s activity published by PVMBG through the MAGMA Indonesia system. Based on the official PVMBG report, Mount Semeru erupted on 3 July 2026 at 06:06 WIB with an observed ash column height of approximately 700 metres above the summit, leaning towards the southeast. Subsequently, on 4 July 2026 at 06:08 WIB, another eruption occurred with an ash column height of approximately 1,400 metres above the summit, directed southwards. At the time the report was issued, the eruption was still ongoing. The matching results showed that the narrative accompanying the video did not correspond with the official data on Mount Semeru’s activity, confirming the content as misleading information or a hoax. Currently, Mount Semeru remains at Level III (Alert) status, so PVMBG recommends that the public avoid activities in the southeast sector along Besuk Kobokan as far as 13 kilometres from the summit. The public must not conduct activities within a five-kilometre radius of the crater and should be aware of the potential for pyroclastic flows, lava avalanches, and lahars in rivers originating from Mount Semeru. He explained that the spread of information inconsistent with facts could trigger panic and disrupt official information dissemination efforts during a disaster. Therefore, the public is urged to make fact-checking a habit before sharing information and to use information from PVMBG, BPBD Lumajang, and the Lumajang Regency Government as the primary reference in monitoring the development of the highest mountain on Java Island. Amid Mount Semeru’s ongoing Level III (Alert) activity, vigilance must be built through accurate information, not misleading content. By promoting digital literacy and relying on official sources, the public can actively support disaster mitigation efforts while preventing the spread of potentially unsettling hoaxes.