Fact Check: Viral video of man slipping into waterfalls is from Karnataka, not Kashmir

Hyderabad: Several social media users have shared a video of a man slipping into a massive waterfall while making a reel.

The caption of the viral video reads, “Aharbal waterfall. Tariq from Shopian Nanehaal.” According to the post, the waterfall in the video is Aharbal Waterfalls, in the southwestern part of Kashmir valley.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false as the video is from Karnataka, not Kashmir.

On performing a reverse image search, we found multiple media outlets like NDTV and Times of India carrying stills from the viral video. According to the reports, the incident was captured on camera on the victim's friend’s phone at Arasinagundi Falls, 6 km from Kollur village in Karnataka.

The reports identified the victim as 23-year-old Sharad Kumar from Bhadravati in Shivamogga district who lost his life by slipping into the waterfall while posing for an Instagram Reel.

Through a keyword search, we found that the incident was reported on the official Twitter handle of ANI on July 23.

The ANI tweet reads, “Karnataka | A 23-year-old man from Bhadravati, Shivamogga district drowned in Arasinagundi Falls after he slipped and fell when he was standing on a rock at the falls on 23^rd July.’

The same report can be found on the official Twitter handle of PTI.