By Pascal Ibe
Introduction
Some video clips that are unrelated, old and AI-generated have surfaced online following the recent deadly Nepal floods.
The Nepal flash floods started on Wednesday, 26 August 26, near the mountainous Nepal-Tibet border when a massive section of a glacier collapsed in the Himalayas.
Nepal is a country in South-east Asia.
According to the BBC, search and rescue operations have been ongoing since Wednesday’s disaster. Chinese state media has said there are significant casualties, while Nepalese officials describe “huge scale loss”.
But rescuers are on edge because of the risk of further flooding. A lake of rising water which has formed at a site along the border briefly overflowed early on Friday, prompting Chinese authorities to pause rescue efforts, according to state media.
Hundreds of people have died and thousands are still missing after deadly flooding.
Videos trending online
Two videos which claims to show the severe disaster of the Nepal flooding have been circulating online, particularly on the X platform.
An X user, Cool_Ustas, posted (archived here) the clip on 27 August and captioned it, “A devastating flood has swept through parts of Nepal, leaving hundreds missing and causing massive destruction.”
The video was also posted on X here.
Another clip showing the people who are trying not to be swept away by the raging flood also surfaced on X.
A user on X, @AndrewOkere posted (archived here) this video and claimed it was from Nepal flooding.
The video was also posted here.
Users who commented on the two videos believe that the clips were from Nepal.
Verification
However, key frames from the first clips was subjected an Image Reverse Search website. Results from the search indicate that the clip was originally from India as it first appeared online in July.
The New York Post posted the video on its official Facebook page in July and wrote that it was from India.
Two other Facebook pages, based in India, also posted the video at that time here and here
Al Jazeera reported that at least 25 people were killed as floods and landslides hit across north and northeastern India.
Several incidents were reported in Indian-administered Kashmir and the northeastern state of Nagaland, following days of torrential monsoon rain, officials said.
The second video
No AI detection device outright proved that the second video was AI-generated because of the modern, higher generative tools, which make AI videos indistinguishable from real ones.
However, clear signs that the second clip was AI-generated were that it shows AI signs like staged poses, odd water dynamics, and dramatic text overlays.
It does not match verified Nepal flood footage of debris torrents in mountain valleys after the Aug 26 glacial collapse.
FACTWATCH Nigeria also used key frames from the clip to conduct a reverse search and the results showed that the earliest date it appeared online was in July.
Facebook pages that shared the clip at that time here and here.
Verdict
The two videos used to depict Nepal’s deadly flash floods are MISLEADING and FALSE.
Findings showed that the first video was from India in July. Therefore, it is MISLEADING.
While the second clip was AI-generated, and therefore, it is FALSE.
