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
Viral video shows the heavy rainfall and floods that lashed Dubai.
Fact
Compilation comprises old and unrelated visuals.
A three-minute video, comprising several clips of waterlogged roads and thunderstorms, has gone viral on Whatsapp with users claiming it purportedly shows the heavy rainfall and floods that recently lashed parts of the United Arab Emirates, mainly Dubai.
We received this video on our Whatsapp tipline (9999499044), requesting us to fact-check it.
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Fact check
Newschecker saw that the video had 10 clips pieced together, claimed by users to show the recent deluge in Dubai.
We ran a reverse image search of the first frame, which led us to this Youtube video, uploaded on November 4, 2023, which predates the UAE floods and is said to show the weather in Bahrain.
Similarly, we found that the second clip, showing a lightning-struck sky over the Burj Khalifa, was from January 3, 2022 and not related to the recent thunderstorms over Dubai.
The third clip, which seems like CGI, was traced to a Youtube video uploaded on November 3, 2023, predating the recent floods.
We found that the sixth clip, which shows a hotel lobby being flooded, dates back to 2018, when floodwaters brought by Typhoon Mangkhut smashed through the windows of the Sheraton Dameisha Resort in Shenzhen, China. A similar report can be seen here.
We saw that the last clip, showing camels stranded amid the floods, was captioned “Look at the floods in Saudi Arabia”, contradicting the claim. We found that the video has been around since at least November 2018.
Although Newschecker could not ascertain the authenticity and origin of the other clips, we found from a further image search that the viral video has been in circulation since at least November 13, 2023, a few days before torrential rain created havoc in UAE from November 17, 2023. “Large parts of the Emirates were lashed by heavy rain and thunder on Friday morning (November 17), leading to road closures and flight cancellations.” read The National report, dated November 17, 2023.
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Conclusion
Viral video shared as visuals of the recent deluge in Dubai comprised old and unrelated clips.
Result: Partly false
Sources
Youtube video, November 13, 2023
Youtube video, November 4, 2023
New York Post article, September 17, 2018
Facebook post, January 4, 2022
Youtube video, November 5, 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.
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.
