Fact Check: Karachi blast caught on tape? No, video shows explosion in Syria
A video circulating on social media claims to show a recent explosion in Karachi, Pakistan.
By - Rahul Adhikari
Claim:The video shows a blast in Pakistan that occurred on the first day of Ramadan 2026.
Fact:Misleading. The video shows a fuel tank explosion in Douma, Syria.
Hyderabad: As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan began worldwide, a video surfaced on social media claiming to show a massive explosion in Karachi on February 19 due to a gas leak.
The viral video captures the moment after an explosion, showing people running in panic in different directions as the area fills with dust and chaos.
An X user shared the video and wrote, “On the first day of Ramzan. A massive explosion occurred on Thursday morning in Karachi’s Old Soldier Bazaar due to a gas leak, killing 16 people, including women and children, and leaving several others injured. #Pakistan.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The viral video is from 2025 and shows a fuel tank explosion in Douma, near Damascus, Syria.
How did we find the truth?
We conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens and found that the viral video originated in Syria, not Pakistan.
Using that information, we found several news reports that featured the video. According to a report published by Syria TV on YouTube on March 18, 2025, the video shows a fuel tanker explosion in Douma, a rural area near Damascus.
Several international media organisations, including Syria Now, TRT Arabic and Sky News Arabia, also reported the incident. The reports confirmed that the incident took place in March 2025 in Syria and does not show a recent blast in Pakistan.
Was there a recent explosion in Karachi?
According to a report by Pakistani media outlet Dawn dated February 19, a gas explosion caused part of a residential building to collapse in the Soldier Bazaar area of Karachi. At least 15 people, including women and children, were killed and 18 others were injured in the incident.
While an explosion did happen in Karachi on the first day of Ramadan, the viral video circulating on social media is not from Pakistan. The footage is an old video from Syria that has been falsely linked to the Karachi explosion. This misrepresentation has led to false claims and confusion among viewers online.
Based on the evidence, NewsMeter concluded that the claim is misleading. The viral video shows a fuel tank explosion in Syria and is falsely presented as footage of an explosion in Karachi, Pakistan.
