In the aftermath of flooding that affected various parts of Kenya, a video was posted on X showing a bridge being swept away by floodwaters, with a caption in Arabic claiming that the video showed a dam explosion in Nairobi. The video is heavily edited, with added siren sounds.
Background
In March, April, and May 2024, Kenya experienced heavy rains, which caused floods in several parts of the country resulting in over 200 deaths and leaving thousands more displaced. Informal settlements in Nairobi were the worst hit, with 15 fatalities in Mathare alone. Additionally, 17 footbridges in Nairobi were swept away, posing a danger to the citizens who rely on them.
The government allocated Sh.500 million to rehabilitate the footbridges destroyed by the floods in Nairobi, with the main priority areas being Mathare, Kamukunji, Kibra, Embakasi South, Kabete, Langata, and Westlands constituencies, owing to their large populations and the crucial need for safe crossing points over dangerous rivers.
Verification
Keyframes generated from the video reveal that it is a compilation of clips of floods from different parts of the world. A Google reverse image search of the first clip shows it is from Puerto Rico. The bridge in the video, located in Utuado, Puerto Rico, was destroyed by Hurricane Fiona on September 18, 2022. The temporary bridge was built after Hurricane Maria destroyed the island in 2017. The original video was posted on September 19, 2022.
Another clip in the video shows cars being swept away in Beijing after Typhoon Doksuri, with footage first appearing online on July 31, 2023.
Another Google reverse image search reveals that the last clip in the video is actually from Little Falls, New Jersey, with the original footage uploaded on August 13, 2018. The screengrabs below reveal similarities between the edited compilation and the original video.
Verdict
Claims that a video posted on X showing a flood resulting from a dam explosion was from Nairobi are FALSE. The video is a compilation of clips from damage caused by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico in 2022, Little Falls Floods in New Jersey in 2018 and Typhoon Doksuri in Beijing 2023.
Add comment