rear powerful A social media post has surfaced in India that falsely claims to capture the moment of extreme panic among affected residents after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on April 2, 2026. The video was generated by AI, and analysis found errors indicating it was not genuine.
“A magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurred in Indonesia. As seen in the video, the road is divided into two parts,” reads an X post in Hindi shared on the day of the earthquake (archived link), using the magnitude of the quake indicated in initial reports.
The attached video shows people panicking as cracks appeared on the road.
Screenshot of a false post taken on April 6, 2026, with the AI symbol and red X added by AFP
Early morning tremors in the Molucca Sea between Sulawesi and Maluku caused waves up to 75 centimeters (2.5 feet) high in some places, prompting a tsunami warning that was later lifted (archive link).
One person was killed when a building collapsed in Manado, the region’s search and rescue chief George Leo Marcy Landan told AFP.
Indonesia and neighboring countries experience frequent earthquakes because they are located on the Pacific Rim of Volcano, an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide.
In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck the westernmost part of Aceh province, causing a tsunami to hit the coastline around the Indian Ocean, killing 220,000 people.
The video was also falsely presented as authentic footage from Indonesia in posts on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
Comments indicated that many social media users believed it to be real, with one comment saying, “Many countries are at war, there are earthquakes, and it feels like the end of the world is near.”
Another user noted that the people in the video were clearly speaking Hindi, writing, “A lot of people from India live in Indonesia, so that’s why they speak Hindi.”
fabricated video
When we analyzed the video, we found some visual errors that are characteristic of AI-generated content.
People’s hands look distorted, with fingers not clearly distinguishable or properly formed.
Screenshot of fake video with distorted hands highlighted by AFP
Additionally, despite the apparent panic, the video showed people casually walking over cracks in the road.
Screenshot of AFP’s false post highlighting people walking on cracks
Analysis using the Hive Moderation AI detection tool found that this video “may contain AI-generated or deepfake content” (archive link).
Screenshot of video analysis from Hive Moderation AI detection tool
AFP was unable to trace the source of the clip.
A reverse image search of the keyframes revealed that one of the earliest versions was shared by X on April 2nd. AFP contacted the page but did not receive a response.
You can read more about AFP’s report on AI-powered misinformation spreading after disasters here.
