The Central Asian country of Tajikistan was hit by a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 late on February 12, 2021. At the same time, there were earthquakes in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Among various photos and videos on social media, a set of three images is spread of people standing in the middle of the rubble of a collapsed building. These are said to be scenes from the recent earthquake in Afghanistan.
The caption to one such post reads: ‘#Shocking Live Pictures from Afghanistan’.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found the allegation along with the images to be misleading. These photos were taken after an earthquake hit eastern Turkey last year. However, Afghanistan experienced a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on 12 February.
The archived versions of similar posts can be seen here, here and here.
AFWA investigation
Using reverse image search, we found that in January 2020, the same photos were taken by several news outlets as from Turkey.
Image 1
We found the same footage in a video (https://globalnews.ca/news/6458365/turkey-earthquake-sivrice/) showing rescuers rescuing injured people from the rubble of a collapsing building. The video was part of a ‘Global News’ story about a massive earthquake that shook eastern Turkey on January 25, 2020.
According to the story, the earthquake occurred in the Elazig province in eastern Turkey, as well as the neighboring province of Malatya. According to a BBC report, at least 31 people were killed and more than 1,600 injured in the quake.
Image 2
We found the second image along with the viral mail carried by The New Indian Express in a report published on January 25, 2020.
The caption of the image attributed to the Associated Press reads: “Rescue workers search a building that collapsed after an earthquake in Sivrice in Elazig in eastern Turkey hit 6.8.”
Image 3
The third image, which shows a small group of people staring at a collapsed building, was published by the Associated Press in an article published on January 25, 2020.
The description of the picture reads: ‘People look at a building that collapsed after a 6.8 earthquake hit the center of Elazig in eastern Turkey, on Friday 24 January 2020. An earthquake with a preliminary strength of 6.8 shook eastern Turkey on Friday, causing some buildings to collapse and killing at least four people, Turkish officials said. “
Meanwhile, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake was reported on Friday night in Fayzabad, Afghanistan. According to the country’s national center for seismology, the quake occurred at 22.31 hours. However, there are no reports of major damage from Afghanistan.
Earthquake of Magnitude:6.3, Occurred on 12-02-2021, 22:31:33 IST, Lat: 38.00 & Long: 73.58, Depth: 74 Km ,Location: 285km ENE of Fayzabad, Afghanistanfor more information https://t.co/PxX3VNYiFY @ndmaindia pic.twitter.com/2F8ndn7p5v
— National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) February 12, 2021
Therefore, it is clear that all the images that a building is collapsing come from an earthquake that rocked Turkey last year. The images are not related to the recent earthquake in Afghanistan and other parts of Asia.
ClaimImages show debris from collapsed buildings in Afghanistan after the country was rocked by an earthquake on 12 February 2021.ClosureThese images come from an earthquake that shook eastern Tukey in January 2020. Afghanistan was hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on Friday, but no major damage was reported.
JHOOTH BOLE KAUVA KAATE
The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.
- 1 Crow: Half true
- 2 crows: mostly lies
- 3 crows: absolutely false
