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Fact Check

Viral Video From 2017 Durban Passed off As Tsunami After Turkey Earthquake

Written By Prashant Sharma
Feb 7, 2023
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In the wake of a strong earthquake hitting Turkey and Syria, several unverified images, videos, and claims have surfaced on social media. 

A new 1-minute 18-second long video of a Tsunami wave flooding a beach is among the many videos that are being shared in the context of the Turkey earthquake.

Harish Deshmukh, who is a journalist with Zee Bihar, was among the many who shared the video

https://twitter.com/deshmukhharish9/status/1622550205018296323?s=46&t=rob11txJwBoBgg0N_r-bcg

Several other social media users have also shared the viral video linking it to the Turkey earthquake.

The archive of the post can be seen here 

Fact Check/Verification 

Newschecker began our investigation by splitting the viral video into several keyframes using the Invid tool. We then conducted a reverse image search of the same which led us to a post on youtube, which was identical to the viral video. 

The video was posted 5 years ago on a YouTube channel named Connect News SA. The caption of the video suggests that the incident of the ‘tsunami’ was from Durban, South Africa.

We then performed a keyword search “Durban Mini Tsunami”  which led us to several credible news reports related to the South Africa Tsunami.  

Durban’s North Beach faced an unexpected “mini-tsunami” when a giant wave crashed against the coastline, causing damages to beachside businesses and at least 3 people lost their lives, a report published in The Telegraph on 14 March 2017 revealed. The cyclone weather system off the Madagascar coast was responsible for the storm along the north beach in Durban, which caused the ‘mini Tsunami’, the report added.

Many other news portals like The Citizen and Mirror UK  also carried the news of the Durban mini tsunami, with similar details. 

Conclusion 

The viral video showing a Tsunami wave hitting the beach is not from Turkey but from Durban, South Africa, and is over 5 years old. 

Result: FALSE

Our Sources
Video posted by Connect news SA, in YouTube on
Report published by The Telegraph dated 14 March 2017
Report published by The Citizen, dated 12 March 2017
Report published by Mirror UK, dated 14 March 2017

If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill the form.

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If you would like us to fact check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint WhatsApp us at +91-9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in​. You can also visit the Contact Us​ page and fill the form.
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