Months-old video of multi-vehicle pileup resurfaces online ahead of Eid travel rush

Published on April 14, 2025 at 09:26
3 min read
By AFP Indonesia

As Indonesians embarked on an annual migration to their hometowns to celebrate Eid in late-March, a video of a multi-vehicle pileup emerged in posts that falsely claim it showed a serious accident during the travel rush. However, the videos have circulated since November 2024 and authorities confirmed it depicted an old incident.

"Dozens of victims were stuck inside the cars," reads Indonesian-language text on a Facebook reel on March 27, 2025.

"Multiple accident at Cipularang toll road. The fate of mudik travelers," says the caption.

The video of a multi-vehicle collision surfaced on Facebook as millions in Muslim-majority Indonesian embarked on the annual "Mudik" travel rush back to their hometowns to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Cipularang Toll Road connects the Indonesian capital Jakarta to Bandung, the capital of West Java province. The lengthy motorway has seen numerous fatal accidents (archived link).

Screenshot of false post, taken on April 7, 2025

Posts making a similar claim about an accident on the motorway on March 28 shared a similar video, taken from a different angle.

"For those who are on mudik, please be careful. This accident happened this afternoon," says the text on the video.

Screenshot of false post, taken on April 7, 2025

But both videos circulated months before Eid Al-Fitr, which began on March 30.

The Purwakarta Transportation Agency told AFP on April 9 that the video "was an accident that happened last year".

An accident on April 8 along the stretch of the Cipularang toll road that passed through Purwakarta Regency killed one person, local media reported (archived link).

But the videos circulating online depict a different incident, said the Ministry of State Owned Enterprises (BUMN), which manages toll roads.

Reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the first video featured in reports by Indonesian news outlets iNews and Kompas TV about an accident on November 11, 2024 (archived links here and here).

"The scene of the multi-vehicle collision at the Cipularang Toll Road," read the iNews report on the same day.

Screenshot comparison of the video from the false post (left) and the video from iNews (right)

State news agency Antara said the accident involving 18 vehicles killed one person and injured at least 23 others (archived link).

The second video of the accident also circulated on Instagram here and here on November 11, 2024 (archived links here and here).

Screenshot comparison of the video in the false posts (left) and the social media video from November 2024 (right)

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