Viral video of rains, cloudburst is from Japan, not Himachal
Users are flagging concerns about the safety of the people in the affected area especially Dharmashala.
By Satya Priya BN Published on 13 July 2021 1:31 PM GMT
For the last two days, incessant rainfall has wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh. Several videos and pictures are in circulation on social media. Users are flagging concerns about the safety of the people in the affected area especially Dharmashala.
"Another frightful video of #cloudburst in #Mcleodganj #Himanchalpradesh #Dharamsala #Dharamshala. Hope no one lost his life in this flood," reads the caption of a video on Twitter.
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Fact Check:
The video shared as recent from Himachal Pradesh floods is FALSE.
When we searched the keyframes using Google reverse image search, we found that the video is from a massive mudslide sweep in Japan's Atami city.
We found a report by abc7.com, a powerful mudslide carrying a deluge of black water and debris crashed into rows of houses in a town west of Tokyo following heavy rains on Saturday, leaving at least 19 people missing, officials said.
Taking the cue, we searched using the keywords "Atami mudslide". It led us to several results which show the same maroon-color building that can be seen in the viral video.
Disaster prevention officials in Shizuoka Prefecture said the landslide occurred in Atami, which is famous for its hot springs. It is dated July 3, 2021.
According to Takamichi Sugiyama, the prefecture's disaster prevention officer, rescue workers are searching for at least 19 people. A landslide occurred in Mt. Izu.
According to Sugiyama, some people in the area are believed to have been evacuated, but no further details were immediately available.
Television footage showed a helpless neighbor watching in horror and recording on his cell phone as a powerful black landslide slides down the hillside, knocking down and crushing his house.
Heavy rains have hit all over Japan since the beginning of this week, causing rivers to swell in central and Tokyo. It has increased the risk of landslides.
CBS News has also reported the disaster on July 4, 2021. The viral video is part of the news story published. According to the report, at least 2 people were killed due to this mudslide.
Therefore, the viral video is from Atami in Japan, not Dharmashala in Himachal Pradesh. It shows a disastrous mudslide that occurred on July 4, 2021. The claim, therefore, is FALSE.
