Footage of a dramatic volcanic explosion is circulating on social media which claims it shows the eruption of Anak Krakatau in Indonesia in February 2022. The claim is false; the video shows the same volcano erupting in December 2018, days after triggering a deadly tsunami.

The images were shared here on Twitter on February 4, 2022 and have been viewed over 107,000 times.

The video shows onlookers filming the eruption of a ship.

The Indonesian-language tweet reads: “4:30 p.m. Western Indonesian time, Anak Krakatau erupted, hope no bigger eruptions.”

Anak Krakatau is a volcano located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra.

The volcano exploded on Feb. 4, 2022, spewing a mile-high ash plume, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geohazard Mitigation.

The same video has been viewed over 25,000 times in similar Facebook posts here, here and here; on Twitter here and here; and on YouTube here.

However, the claim is false. Images show Anak Krakatau erupting in 2018.

A reverse image search on Yandex followed by keyword searches on YouTube found a longer video posted here on January 3, 2019 titled: “Anak Krakatau bursts again..!! This is the closest VIEW of the Indonesian Navy vessel”.

Below is a screenshot comparison between the images in the misleading posts (left) and the video on YouTube (right).

Comparison of screenshots between the images of the misleading message (L) and the video on YouTube (R)

The clip also appeared in this news program from local broadcaster tvOne on January 4, 2019, titled: “The Story of Commander of KRI Rigel 933 witnessing Anak Krakatau eruption up close.”

In the interview with tvOne, KRI Rigel 933 Commanding Officer Agus Trijaya said the video was filmed by an officer of the Navy ship in December 2018.

“The eruption actually happened on December 30 when we had just finished helping to rescue a fisherman between 1 and 7 p.m.,” he said.

Anak Krakatau erupted and then collapsed on December 22, 2018, with parts sliding into the sea and triggering deadly waves that killed more than 400 people and injured thousands. The volcano continued to erupt for several months afterwards.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s press release, shared with reporters via WhatsApp on February 5, 2022, said the video was old.

“We must clarify that the video is a documentation of the Anak Krakatau eruption in 2018 (after the tsunami),” he said.