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.
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
A three-storey building collapses in Marrakech, Morocco, due to the earthquake.
Fact
The viral video dates back to December 27, 2022, and the incident happened in Casablanca, Morocco.
Several social media users are sharing a video, purportedly showing a house collapsing in Marrakech, Morocco, following the devastating earthquake that killed thousands of people, destroying buildings and leaving people homeless and struggling to find food and water.
Earthquake jolts Morocco
A rare and powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains late on Friday and killed more than 2,100 people in the country’s strongest quake in more than a century, according to Morocco’s Interior Ministry. The World Health Organisation said more than 3 lakh people were affected in Marrakech and surrounding areas. An aftershock of 3.9 magnitude rattled the country on Sunday.
Fact Check
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to a Reddit post, December 27, 2022, stating that the incident took place in Casablanca, Morocco, on December 27, 2022.
A relevant keyword search led us to this Morocco World News report, dated December 27, 2022, stating, “A 3 floor building collapsed yesterday in Casablanca’s Derb Moulay Cherif, a neighbourhood in Hay Mohammadi. Several social media users posted the video clip capturing the moment in which the house collapsed. Local media reported that there were no casualties in the incident”. A similar report can be seen here.
We also came across this HM TV News Casablanca, dated December 27, 2022, where the description, in Arabic, read, “Recently, a three-storey building has been exposed to collapse in the city, listed as a means of collapse in Badrab Mowlay Al-Sherif, in the province of Al-Muhammadani, without causing any casualties.”
Conclusion
An old video of a dilapidated building collapsing in Casablanca, Morocco, last year, has been falsely linked to the earthquake that happened in September 2023.
Result: False
Source
Facebook reel, Morocco World News, December 27, 2022
HM TV News Casablanca, December 27, 2022
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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.
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.
