Authors
Vijayalakshmi leads our Tamil team. She’s worked in the media industry for more than eight years. This includes her work as a senior correspondent for Times Now before joining Newschecker. She turned to fact-checking to create awareness around misinformation through her writing.
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Video of rescue of 41 workers who were trapped in Uttarakhand tunnel.
Fact
Video predates rescue, shows NDRF demonstration in preparation for rescue of the workers.
Several social media users are circulating a video, claiming to show the successful rescue of 41 workers from the partially collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand, where they were trapped for 17 days.
The archived version of the tweets can be seen here.
Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue
Rescuers late on Tuesday evening successfully pulled out all the 41 construction workers who were trapped in a collapsed mountain tunnel in Uttarakhand since November 12. The workers were pulled out through an escape pipe after the last stretch of rubble had been manually drilled by a specialist team of “rat-hole mining” experts who had been flown in to help after the mechanical drill broke down, according to media reports.
Fact Check
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this NDTV video, dated November 24, 2023, predating the rescue on November 28, headlined “Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue: How Trapped Workers Will Be Pulled Out On Stretchers From Tunnel”.
“The forty-one workers who are trapped under a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand for 13 days will be pulled out on wheeled stretchers one by one through a big pipe that is being pushed through the rubble to reach them, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said today,” read the description, indicating that the video was showing an NDRF demonstration.
The same video was shared by the Indian Express on November 24, 2023, headlined, “NDRF Demonstrates Pipeline Stretcher Rescue for Trapped Workers”
“In the ongoing rescue efforts at Uttarkashi’s Silkyara Tunnel, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) showcased the procedure for moving wheeled stretchers through the pipeline. This demonstration was conducted in preparation for the rescue of the 41 workers currently trapped inside. Once the horizontal pipe reaches the opposite side, this method will be utilised to facilitate the transportation of workers to safety using wheeled stretchers,” read the description. Similar news reports can be seen here and here, confirming that the viral video is of an NDRF demonstration showcasing the movement of wheeled stretchers through the pipeline, ahead of the rescue of the trapped workers.
Also Read: AI Generated Image Shared As Team That Rescued 41 Workers Trapped In Tunnel
Conclusion
A video of an NDRF mock drill is being claimed as actual footage of the successful rescue of the 41 workers who were trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
Report from NDTV , November 24, 2023
Report from The Indian Express, November 24, 2023
(This report was originally written for Newshecker Tamil by Vijayalakshmi Balasubramaniyan)
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Authors
Vijayalakshmi leads our Tamil team. She’s worked in the media industry for more than eight years. This includes her work as a senior correspondent for Times Now before joining Newschecker. She turned to fact-checking to create awareness around misinformation through her writing.
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
