Mainstream media shares old photo as scenes of recent flood in Indonesia
A photo has been shared in several local and foreign media reports and on social media as an image of recent floods and landslides in Indonesia. But fact-check shows the photo is from March 2024, taken in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra Province, during floods there. The image has been used in recent reports as if it were new.
On November 4, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) used the photo in a story about sudden floods in the Nduga regency of Papua Pegunungan Province that killed at least 15 people.
Dhaka Post published a report on December 7, saying 916 bodies were recovered after floods and landslides in Indonesia’s Sumatra and Aceh provinces. The report cited Reuters and used the same photo, without identifying the source. A media outlet called Dainik Niropekko also used the same image on Facebook and its website.
The New Nation used the photo on November 29 in a report about bodies recovered on Indonesia’s Sumatra island. The photo credit said “Reuters,” but no date, location, or caption was provided.
Indian outlet NDTV World used the same image on December 6 in coverage of floods in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The picture carried a Reuters label but no other details. Earlier, its X handle used the same image on November 29 in a report claiming 303 deaths in Indonesia’s floods and landslides.
IND Today used the photo on November 27 in a report on floods in North Sumatra. Kyrgyzstan-based outlet Open Kyrgyzstan used it on December 1 in coverage of floods in Southeast Asia. Uganda-based radio station 97.8 Kazo FM used the photo on its Facebook page on September 11 in a story saying 19 people were killed in Indonesia’s floods. None of these reports described the image as file footage or a symbolic photo.
Reverse image search identified the photo’s original source. Reuters published it on March 11, 2024, in coverage of floods and landslides in West Sumatra that killed 26 people. The caption said the image shows a residential area in Padang submerged by floodwaters after heavy rain. The drone photo was taken on March 8, 2024, by Antara Foto. Antara Foto is part of Indonesia’s state news agency Perum LKBN Antara, which has photographers across the country.
In short, although many news outlets used the image as a photo of Indonesia’s recent floods and landslides, it was actually taken during last year’s March flooding in West Sumatra.
Disclaimer: The original version of this fact-check report was published in Bengali on Dismislab’s Bengali website on December 7, 2025. The English translation was completed later; however, to maintain time accuracy and avoid any potential misinterpretation, the English version has been published with the original publication date.
