Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
A Yeti Airlines plane with over 70 people onboard, flying from Nepal’s Kathmandu to Pokhara, crashed in Nepal on Sunday morning killing at least 40 people. Soon after, several social media users shared visuals and images claiming to show the aftermath of the crash. Newschecker found that many of these images were not linked to the Yeti airlines crash, and were in fact old images shared in the recent context.
One of the photographs that is widely being shared purportedly shows a soldier surveying a damaged wing of an aircraft. Several news outlets including Times Now used the image in its “Live Updates” blog on the aircraft crash.
Archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Another image of an aircraft wreckage is also going viral. News anchor Tushar Kaushik shared the image with the caption in Hindi, “Yeti Airlines plane crashes in Nepal. A total of 72 people were on board the plane. There have been eight major plane accidents in Nepal in the last 12 years. From 2010 to 2022, 166 people have died here. However, the number of dead in today’s accident has not been revealed yet.”
Archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
A third image showing debris of an aircraft is also being shared in context to the recent aircraft tragedy in Nepal.
Archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Also Read: Kedarnath Helicopter Crash- No, This Image Does Not Show Uttarakhand Chopper Mishap
Fact Check/Verification
We attempted to ascertain the facts about the images one-by-one.
Image 1
We conducted a Google reverse image search on the viral photograph and found that it was uploaded on Reuters website with the caption, “A Nepalese police officer stands in front of the wreckage of a Dornier aircraft, owned by private firm Sita Air, at the crash site in Kathmandu September 28, 2012.”
The search also led us to a report by vijesti.me, dated September 28, 2012, titled ‘Nepal: 19 people died in a plane crash.’ Displaying the viral photograph, the report stated, “Nineteen people, including seven Britons and five Chinese nationals, died early this morning when a small plane crashed near the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, police said.”
Alamy also features a slightly zoomed in version of the viral image with the caption, “The wreckage of a Dornier aircraft, owned by private firm Sita Air, is seen at the crash site in Kathmandu September 28, 2012. A small plane crashed shortly after takeoff from the Nepali capital of Kathmandu on Friday, killing 19 people, including seven British and five Chinese passengers, an airline official said. “
Image 2
On looking up the viral photograph on TinEye, we were directed to a report by CNN, dated March 12, 2018, titled ‘49 dead in plane crash at Nepal’s Kathmandu airport.’ It carried a set of 14 pictures, including the viral photograph, and stated, “At least 49 people were killed when a plane approached the runway from the wrong direction, crashed and burst into flames while landing at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan Airport in Nepal…Flight BS 211, which belongs to US-Bangla Airlines, a privately owned Bangladeshi carrier, was flying from Dhaka, Bangladesh, police spokesperson Manoj Neupane said.”
A Daily Mail report, dated March 12, 2018, also carried the viral picture while elaborating on the US-Bangla Airlines in Nepal.
Image 3
A Google reverse image search on the viral photograph yielded a report by The Kathmandu Post, dated May 30, 2022, titled ‘Missing Tara Air plane found crashed, 14 bodies recovered.’
Displaying the viral photograph, the report elaborated, “Rescuers pulled out 14 bodies from the crash site of Tara Air and have been scouring the area for the remains of the others, according to rescuers. Pieces of wreckage of the passenger plane that crashed on Sunday morning were found at 14,500ft in Sano Sware Bhir of Thasang in Mustang district in northwestern Nepal, after nearly 20 hours since the plane went missing, the Nepal Army…The Twin Otter aircraft of Tara Air with 22 people onboard, including three members of the crew, had slammed into a mountain.”
The image also featured in a Money Control report, dated May 30, 2022, on rescue operations following the Tara Airlines plane crash in Nepal.
Conclusion
We could thus conclude that images showing old and unrelated aeroplane wreckages from Nepal are being linked to today’s Yeti Airlines plane crash in the country.
Result: Partly False
Sources
Photos By Reuters
Report By vijesti.me, Dated September 28, 2012
Report By CNN, Dated March 12, 2018
Report By Daily Mail, Dated March 12, 2018
Report By The Kathmandu Post, Dated May 30, 2022
Report By Money Control, Dated May 30, 2022
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
