A viral video showing a few people bathing under a waterfall, right when, a landslide sweeps them away is being circulated on the internet.
What are the users saying?: Internet users have shared this video as one from the Chamoli district in Uttarakhand. They cautioned people against bathing under waterfalls during the monsoons as it is dangerous.
Who shared it?: The viral video was also shared by news organisations like Navbharat Times and Jansatta.
Context: This comes in light at a time when Uttarakhand is witnessing severe monsoon that has left many displaced with houses collapsed and lives lost. So far, the death toll in Uttarakhand stands at 10.
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
(Archives of similar claims can be found here, here and here.)
What is the truth?: The incident in the viral video is from the Sedudo Waterfall, Nganjuk, East Java in Indonesia where four men were bathing under the waterfall when the landslide took place on 14 February.
Pramod Shah, Deputy Superintendent of Chamoli district police told The Quint that the video was not from the district, rather it was from Indonesia and was shared by the police on social media to create awareness and warn people.
How did we find out?: The Quint reached out to Pramod Shah, Deputy Superintendent of Chamoli district police to inquire about the viral video.
Shah told The Quint, "The video is from Indonesia, not Chamoli."
He added that the police had posted this video in "public interest" to caution people since "there are a lot of waterfalls here as well."
We found the district police's post on Facebook with the caption (translated from Hindi to English): "Avoid bathing under waterfalls in the mountains during the rainy season. Issued in public interest"
The video was posted as a caution against the weather.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
Upon conducting a reverse image search of the screenshots from the viral video, we found a news report by Detik News that confirmed that accident that took place in Indonesia.
It reported that on 14 February, a person died due to a landslide at the Sedudo Waterfall, Nganjuk, East Java, in Indonesia, when he was taking a shower with his friends.
The report was published on 14 February.
(Source: Detik News/Screenshot)
What is happening in Uttarakhand?: The hill state is witnessing incessant monsoons, that has lead to several people being displaced.
The death toll in Uttarakhand has risen to 10 so far.
Rescue operations are underway to retrieve the injured and debris under the collapsed houses, reported India Today.
According to the Times of India, the Chamoli district witnessed 41 roadblocks.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami blamed the heavy rainfall for losses in the state and said that a central team was analysing the losses, according to TOI.
The TOI report also noted that the Meteorological department has predicted the rainfall till 23 August in Uttarakhand.
Conclusion: The viral video is not from Chamoli in Uttarakhand. It was simply posted by the district police in public interest. The video is from Indonesia from 14 February, when a man died due to a landslide while showering with his friends under the waterfall.
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