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
Floodwaters sweep away a house in Chennai following heavy rain triggered by Cyclone Michaung in December 2023.
Fact
Video dates back to October 2021, taken during the flash floods in Kerala.
Several social media users are circulating a video, which shows a house collapsing into a river, claiming that the incident happened in Chennai, where heavy rainfall and floods triggered by Cyclone Michaung in December 2023 has displaced over 18,000 people and killed at least eight.
The archived versions of the tweets can be seen here and here.
Fact Check
Newschecker first ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this Youtube video, dated October 18, 2021, headlined, “Kerala Flood: Dramatic House Collapse in Kottayam”.
We then came across this Newsminute report, dated October 17, 2021, sharing the video, stating that the incident happened at Mundakayam, a town located in Kanjirappally taluk of Kerala’s Kottayam district. According to the report, which identified the river as Manimala, the collapse took place on the morning of October 17. “The two-storey house was located in Koottickal near Mundakayam. The first floor of the house was built at the same level as the road, while the ground floor was below and adjacent to the river. The house seemed to have unhinged from the road after it developed deep cracks on the ground of the first floor. As the floods and the landslide in Koottickal — triggered by heavy rainfall — washed the soil along with it, the foundation of the house gave way,” read the report.
“Kerala has been witnessing extreme rainfall since Saturday, which caused a series of landslides in various parts of the Kottayam district, including Koottickal and Kokkayar panchayats. The landslide in Koottickal claimed the lives of 12 people, while five died in the Kokkayar landslide,” added the report.
Similar reports can be seen here and here, confirming that viral video is from the 2021 flash floods in Kerala.
Also Read: Qatar Quashes Death Sentences Of 8 Ex-Indian Navy Personnel? No, Viral Claim Is False
Conclusion
Viral video showing house collapsing into a river is old and not related to the 2023 Chennai floods.
Result: False
Sources
The Newsminute report, October 17, 2021
NDTV report, October 17, 2021
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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.
