Posts falsely claim Indonesia kitchen explosion was 'caused by mobile phone'

Published on July 18, 2024 at 10:43
2 min read
By Harshana SILVA, AFP Sri Lanka

Footage of a gas cylinder explosion in Indonesia in June 2024 caused by a loose hose has recirculated in Sri Lankan social media posts that falsely claimed it was sparked by a mobile phone. Indonesian media quoted the homeowner saying the accident happened because the cylinder was not connected properly to the gas stove, and police said the stove was not being used at the time of the accident.

"Do not keep your mobile phones close to gas cylinders," read a Sinhala-language Facebook post shared on July 8.

"Share this video with your loved ones as much as possible. Be aware," the caption went on to say, before repeating the false claim in Tamil.

Screengrab of the false post

The image was shared with a similar false claim here, here and here.

However, the video does not show a gas explosion caused by a mobile phone.

'Loose hose'

Reverse image searches found a picture showing the scene in the false video published in a report by the Indonesian outlet Kompas.com on June 7, 2024 (archived link).

According to the report, a three-kilogram LPC cylinder exploded in a house in Jakarta on June 6, leaving a woman with a minor leg injury.

The house owner suspected the explosion occurred because the cylinder had not been hooked up properly, the report said. Indonesian police told the news outlet that the stove was not in use at the time of the accident.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and the picture published by Kompas.com (right):

Screengrab comparison of the false post (left) and the picture published by Kompas.com (right)

The same video was shared here by an Indonesia-based Instagram account on June 7, 2024. According to the post, the explosion was caused by a gas cylinder leak.

The clip includes June 6, 2024 in the bottom right-hand corner, consistent with the date of the accident reported by local media. The time shows just after 6am, as highlighted in the image below:

The screenshot shows the date -- June 6, 2024 -- in the bottom right-hand corner, with the time showing just after 6am.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the false posts (left) and the clip from the Indonesian Instagram account (right):

Screenshot comparison of the video in the false posts (left) and the clip from the Indonesian Instagram account (right):

AFP previously debunked another false claim in Indonesia about gas cylinders after local media reported the same kitchen explosion in Jakarta.

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

E-mail