Fact Check: Video of boat in dangerous waters not linked to recent Kerala accident
In September 2021, a boat accident took place at the Azheekal beach in Kollam district of Kerala. The boat carrying 16 fishermen faced a heavy whirlpool causing the boat to overturn, resulting in four deaths.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 18 Oct 2021 10:43 AM GMT
Hyderabad: In September 2021, a boat accident took place at the Azheekal beach in Kollam district of Kerala. The boat carrying 16 fishermen faced a heavy whirlpool causing the boat to overturn, resulting in four deaths.
Following this, social media users began sharing a video of a boat accident with a claim that the video shows the recent boat accident in Kerala. The text shared along with the video upon translation reads, "Shocking live boat accident at Kollam beach…Video courtesy."
Fact Check:
The viral video is not linked to the recent boat accident in Kerala.
NewsMeter performed a reverse image search using InVid and found the same video uploaded on YouTube by several users in different years. A YouTube verified channel, WildFilmsIndia uploaded the video in 2018 and titled it, "Fishing boat gets thrown skywards by Kerala Cyclone as it batters Indian Ocean coast of India." Another YouTube user uploaded the video in 2017 and titled it, "Big waves in Kerala towards fishing boats." The oldest upload found was from 2015.
The description of WildFilmsIndia states that according to the India Meteorological Department wind speeds went up to 65-75 kmph in south Tamil Nadu, 50-60 kmph in the northern part of the state and 55 to 75 kmph in south Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. Heavy rains and high-intensity winds hit Kerala resulting in uprooted trees, snapped power lines and damaged settlements close to the sea. Amidst this, fishermen who were trying to boat got caught and struggled to escape.
While NewsMeter was unable to ascertain the origin and location of the video, it is clear that the viral video is old and is not linked to the recent boat tragedy in Kerala. Thus, the viral claim is false.
