AI clip passed off as genuine footage of Indonesia flood
- Published on December 5, 2025 at 08:48
- 2 min read
- By Safrin LA BATU, AFP Indonesia
Torrential rains triggered deadly floods and landslides in several Indonesian provinces in late November 2025, but a dramatic aerial clip apparently showing the moment a sudden deluge inundated a road is AI-generated. The visual does not resemble the actual damage to the city of Padang Panjang in West Sumatra which it supposedly depicts.
"The following shows the moment when a flood struck the Silaing Twin Bridge in Padang Panjang several days ago," reads the Indonesian-language caption of a video shared on Facebook on December 1, 2025.
It shows an aerial view of two roads crossing a river struck by a sudden surge of floodwater, overlaid with text that largely repeats the caption.
The clip circulated elsewhere on Facebook and on TikTok as Indonesia reeled from floods and landslides that had killed at least 837 people, mostly in North Sumatra and Aceh provinces, and severed transportation links (archived link).
In Padang Panjang, at least 38 people died and 35 others were reported missing, local media Tribun Padang reported on December 4 (archived link).
"Completely destroyed," read a comment to one of the posts. "I seek forgiveness from Allah the Almighty," wrote another user, followed by a crying emoji.
However, an analysis of the circulating video found visual errors that are hallmarks of AI-generated content.
Muddy water suddenly appears on the road out of nowhere before the main surge arrives.
A mosque appears completely covered by floodwater while a nearby welcome arch remains untouched, but the two structures are around the same height when seen on Google Maps Street View (archived link).
A photo published by state-run media outlet Antara on November 29 shows both the mosque and the arch were partly covered in mud but without significant damage (archived link).
A keyword search on Google found an identical video with more than two million views shared by a TikTok user called derby_barbershop in a post December 1 (archived link).
"Floodwater from Bukit Sungai towards Padang Panjang," part of the video's caption reads.
AFP reached out to the account owner who said he created the video using AI because "many netizens asked where the floodwater came from".
The TikTok user also said the visual was created based on an Instagram photo of the area published before the flooding on November 29 by a local video creator and drone pilot named Bayu Satria (archived link).
Seasonal monsoons bring rainfall that farmers across Asia depend on, but climate change is making the phenomenon more erratic, unpredictable and deadly.
Two separate weather systems recently drenched all of Sri Lanka, Sumatra, parts of southern Thailand and northern Malaysia. Subsequent floods in the four countries have killed more than 1,500 people.
AFP has debunked other flooding-related misinformation here.
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