Authors
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.
Claim
Man gets electrocuted while trying to offer namaz on top of transmission tower.
Fact
Video is of a May 2018 incident in Colombia, where a man died after accidentally touching a live wire.
A video, purportedly showing a man atop a transmission tower, where he gets electrocuted before falling from a height, has gone viral on social media. Several users shared the video, claiming that the man was attempting to offer namaz “in order to be close to Allah”.
The archived versions of the tweets can be seen here and here.
Also read: Karnataka Chief Minister Mistreated State Football Team? Here’s The Truth Behind Viral Video
Fact check
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the viral video, which led us to this Metatube page, dated May 17, 2018. According to the video’s description, a 20-year-old man got electrocuted while trying to get off a high-voltage tower in the city of Barranquilla, in northern Colombia.
Taking a cue from this, we ran a keyword search, which led us to this Metro report, dated May 16, 2018, headlined “Deaf man who changed mind about killing himself dies after accidentally touching live wire”.
“Victor Jose Arroyo Gonzalez, 20, had scaled the huge pylon in the city of Barranquilla in northern Colombia’s Atlantico department and threatened to throw himself off. But police officers and onlookers reportedly talked him out of killing himself and he had just started climbing back down when tragedy struck,” read the report.
A similar article by news.com.au, dated May 17, 2018, confirms that the viral video is of the same incident.
Conclusion
A 2018 video of a Colombian man electrocuted by a pylon was falsely shared as a video of a man offering namaz on top of the structure.
Result: False
Sources
Metatube video, May 17, 2018
Metro report, May 16, 2018
News.com.au report, May 17, 2018
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Authors
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.
