Video of Train Collision From Chile Falsely Shared as Vande Bharat Accident

Fact-check: A video of a collision between a passenger train and a cargo train in Chile is being falsely linked to Vande Bharat Express.

(Photo: The Quint)

A video showing a collision between two trains is going viral on social media to claim that it shows an accident involving Vande Bharat Express.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(This claim has received a total of 8.3 million views on Facebook. Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here.)

What's the truth?: This video shows a collision between a passenger train and a cargo train in Chile.

• It is unrelated to Vande Bharat Express and no such recent accident involving this train has been reported.

How did we find out the truth?: We performed a reverse image search using the viral image on Google and came across a report shared by Reuters on 21 June.

• It carried the visuals of the same accident.

• The report further stated that in San Bernardo, Chile, a passenger train in a test run by Chile's state railway company (EFE) collided with a cargo train run by a private rail firm Fepasa.

• This accident happened on 20 June and led to two deaths while injuring nine.

This report is from 21 June 2024.

(Source: Reuters/Screenshot)

• Next, we compared visuals shared by Reuters to viral videos and noticed similarities.

Comparison between the two.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

• The cargo train seen in the visuals carried the name 'FEPASA'.

Comparison between the two.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

• We also noticed the serial number written on the trains seen in the viral video and the one in the Reuters' images matched with each other (SFE 407 M2).

Comparison between the two.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

• The same was reported by the Associated Press (AP) and Cable News Network (CNN).

• Moreover, we did not have any recent reports about accidents involving Vande Bharat Express.

Conclusion: A video of a collision between a passenger train and a cargo train in Chile is being falsely linked to Vande Bharat Express.

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