On New Yr’s Day, an earthquake with a magnitude of seven.6 on the Richter scale shook the west coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami. In its wake, quite a few movies purporting to point out dwell footage of the destruction have been circulating on social media.
And whereas many movies do truly present the extent of the pure catastrophe, others are both outdated or not even recorded in Japan. Listed below are three examples gathered by DW’s reality checking staff:
Does this video present a tsunami triggered by the latest earthquake?
Declare: This video (archived right here), distributed on X (previously Twitter) with over 127,000 views, exhibits a river flooding over a highway, sweeping away a number of automobiles and boats. The person requires prayers for the folks of Japan throughout this tough time, implying that the video portrays present occasions.
DW reality examine: False
The video is just not from the 2024 earthquake, however was recorded again in 2011 throughout the Tohoku earthquake (also called the Nice East Japan Earthquake) that triggered a tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe. With the assistance of a reverse picture search utilizing engines like google Google and Yandex, we discovered the unique video, which was utilized by US broadcaster CNN, for instance, to report on the extent of that earthquake.
On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck the principle Japanese island of Honshu. It was adopted by a tsunami simply minutes later, with waves as tall as homes devastating giant swathes of land. A wave round 15 meters excessive induced the facility provide that cooled three reactors at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear energy plant to be disabled, triggering a nuclear catastrophe.
Did a tsunami trigger a dam collapse in Ishikawa throughout the 2024 earthquake?
Declare: On this video (archived), an X person claims: “A dam in Ishikawa Prefecture couldn’t stand up to the tsunami that started after the earthquake in Japan.” Viewers can see how a deluge rushes by metropolis streets, sweeping away automobiles and different objects, leaving devastation within the wake. The video has been seen over 137,000 occasions and the person implies that it exhibits latest scenes.
DW reality examine: False
This video can be from the abovementioned 2011 earthquake in Japan. Utilizing a reverse picture search with TinEye, we discovered the video in an article by a Japanese media website known as Rocket Information 24. The video can be seen in a media report by French TV station TF1.
Lately, it has been circulated within the mistaken context various occasions. In 2020, for instance, it was printed on Instagram (archived right here) with the suggestion that it confirmed scenes from 2020.
Had been these homes swept away by the 2024 earthquake?
Declare: This video (archived) exhibits an enormous landslide that pours automobiles, homes and different objects down a valley. The person utilized present hashtags resembling “Japan” and “earthquake,” publishing it within the context of the present catastrophe. It has been seen over 840,000 occasions.
DW reality examine: False
This video can be outdated and out of context. The watermark within the video exhibits that it was initially distributed on TikTok, however it might probably now not be discovered at that account. Utilizing a reverse picture search, we came upon that the video confirmed a landslide within the Japanese metropolis of Atami in 2021.
Utilizing one other Google search with the key phrases “Japan,” “landslide” and “2021,” we discovered a number of media reviews in regards to the incident. Based on the Asian Catastrophe Discount Heart(ADRC), there was certainly a landslide there in July 2021.
Conclusion: Not all movies displaying scenes of the earthquake in Japan are false. Many movies that had been initially recorded throughout previous occasions and are presently being re-uploaded and positioned within the context of the present pure catastrophe.
With analysis from Kathrin Wesolowski and Joscha Weber
