Cyclone Biparjoy, which literally means ‘disaster’ in Bengali, has wreaked havoc in many parts of the country. Fourty seven people got injured during the cyclone and 234 cattle died. However, no deaths have been reported so far. The cyclone is expected to continue moving in an east-northeast direction and weaken further over the next 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated on Monday.
In the above mentioned context, several videos went viral on social media claiming to be the visuals of cyclone Biparoy.
Video 1:
The viral video shows several people gathered at a shore while tides are crashing against the shore. A wave crashes against the sea, making some people fall to their feet. These people can be seen being washed away in the currents. Netizens have widely circulated this video claiming that the viral incident is of cyclone Biprajoy.
A Twitter user shared this video and wrote, “Angry waves took away two lives ..as seen in video. #CycloneBiporjoy”
Fact Check:
We searched for relevant keywords such as ‘women swept out to sea’ to investigate the viral claims. We came across a report published by Al Arabiya News on 12 July 2022.
On July 10, the Oman authorities continued to search for three missing Asian expats who were swept into the sea by strong currents. As per the report by Al Arabiya News, a family of eight Asian expats were dragged into the sea after they ventured beyond the fence at Mughsail Beach in the Dhofar governate of Oman.
We also came across this tweet by the news outlet published on Twitter on July 12, 2022. The video carried the same footage as the viral video.
In our Fact Check, we also came across a report by Hindustan Times that identified the incident’s victims. They were identified as three members of a family, including two children from Jat town in the Sangli district of Western Maharashtra. On July 12, the local authorities found the bodies of Shashikant Mhamane and his six-year-old son Shreyas. The search was on for another child, Shreya Mhamane and the other two members of the family.
Video 2:
A video showing a trawler capsizing in high tidal waves went viral, linking it to cyclone Biparjoy. A Twitter user shared this video and wrote, “Monstrous sea waves capsized a trawler in Arabian sea as #BiparjoyCyclone hits Coastal Gujarat near Kutch region. Ever vigilant Indian Coast Guard rescuing the seafarers from the ill fated trawler. #BiparjoyUpdate #BiparjoyNews #Gujaratcyclone.”
Fact Check:
A did a Google reverse image search using the InVid tool, leading us to a YouTube video by The Associated Press dated back to Feb 2023. The title of the video reads, “Huge wave capsizes boat as rookie U.S. Coast Guard swimmer rescues man from ocean.” According to the report, the viral video was from the Columbia River, between Washington and Oregon. It clearly suggests that the viral video is not related to cyclone Birpajoy.
Video 3:
A one-minute-long video showing houses drowned in flood went viral, claiming that the video is from Kutch, Gujarat, and related to the cyclone Biparjoy. A Twitter user shared this video and wrote, “#CycloneBiparjoyUpdate Situation in Kutch, Gujarat. A girl can be heard saying in Gujarati that they look at their home kitchen all being Destroyed. #CycloneAlert #Cyclone #CycloneBiparjoy #Biparjoy.”
Fact Check:
We did an open keyword search which led us to a video report of OneIndia dated back to September 2021, in which similar footage can be seen. The title of the video reads, “Gujarat floods: Heavy rains in Saurashtra as NDRF, IAF respond | Oneindia News.” At 0:32 seconds of timestamp, one can see the viral footage. According to the report, the viral video was related to a flood that occurred in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region, mainly Jamnagar and Rajkot. Though we could independently identify the exact date and origin of the video, it is evident that the viral video is not related to cyclone Biparjoy.
Video 4:
A video showing furniture, including tables and chairs, washing away due to strong wind and water currents viral, linking it to cyclone Biparjoy. A Twitter user shared this video and wrote, “Gujarat and neighbouring states are facing Cyclone Biparjoy from 13th-16th…there has been very strong wind blowing at over 150km/h causing mass destruction of properties and buildings. The condition is dire but I’m safe and we hope things will get back to normal.”
Fact Check:
We did an open keyword search which led us to a report by Hubballi Times dated back May 2022, in which the same video can be seen. According to the report, the viral video was from the Hubli Airport canteen. Back then, another local media outlet, Hubballi Dharwad Infra, tweeted this video with a caption, “Extremely heavy rain accompanied by Deadly winds at #Hubballi. Witness the Nature’s fury from 0:30 onwards. Location: Staff canteen – Hubballi Airport”
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Fact Check
2023-06-20 08:15:44.0
Old And Unrelated Videos Passes Off As Visuals Of Cyclone Biparjoy
