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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Disasters & emergencies fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about disasters & emergencies. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

3,259 published reviews in this topic

APA - Austria Presse AgenturDisasters & emergencies

Der Pilot des Jets, der mit dem Söldnerchef Jewgeni Prigoschins abstürzte, hat nach einer Impfung mit Myokarditis einen Herzinfarkt erlitten. Dies führte zum Absturz des Jets.

Publisher’s rating: Der Artikel wurde gefälscht. RT dementierte, einen solchen Artikel veröffentlicht zu haben.

The claim circulated in a screenshot presented as an RT article: it alleged that the pilot of the jet that crashed with mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin aboard had myocarditis after vaccination and suffered a heart attack. The review investigates whether RT actually published that article, rather than establishing the pilot’s medical history or the crash’s cause. It reports that RT denied publishing the item and that the screenshot was fabricated. The review compares the screenshot’s details with an authentic RT article published at the same time, 17:07 on August 23, 2023. Both use the same photograph of smoke at the crash site, and the text to the right of the image matches the genuine article. But the genuine article concerns authorities’ statement that Prigozhin was on the passenger list; only the headline and lead in the viral screenshot were changed. The review also points to differences in font size, a typo in the headline, and an atypical full stop after it as signs of alteration. As additional checks, the review says the purported article did not appear in an extended Google search. It also reports that BBC journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh said the screenshot had originally circulated as a joke. These checks address the screenshot’s provenance and whether RT published the alleged story; the supplied review does not provide evidence that the claimed medical event occurred or caused the crash.

FACTLYDisasters & emergencies

A recent video that depicts a rescue team being swept away in floodwaters during the elephant rescue

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

FACTLY examined a social-media post claiming that a recent video showed a rescue team being swept away during an elephant rescue. Its investigation identifies the footage as showing a 2021 incident near the Mundali barrage in Odisha’s Cuttack district, not a recent accident. The review says the ODRAF boat overturned in the strong current while rescuers were trying to save an elephant trapped in the Mahanadi River’s floodwaters. A journalist with a local Odisha news channel and an ODRAF member died. The review describes a reverse-image search of video screenshots, which led to similar footage published by Zee News in September 2021. It also says that several news sites published incident reports and videos that month. Those reports place the accident near the Munduli barrage and describe the boat capsizing during the elephant rescue. Together, the footage’s earlier publication and the reported 2021 incident establish why presenting the video as recent is misleading.

FACTLYDisasters & emergencies

Visuals of Qantas Airways flight taking off after an Emirates Airways plane suddenly entered the runway

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a video said to show a Qantas Airways flight taking off again after an Emirates Airways aircraft entered the runway. FACTLY’s investigation concludes the footage is not a real incident: it is a clip from a flight simulator game. The review says its initial search found no media reports of an event of this kind and that neither airline had issued a statement about such an occurrence. To investigate the footage itself, FACTLY says it ran a reverse image search on keyframes from the viral video. That search led to a higher-quality version uploaded to YouTube by the channel “Aviation for Everyone” on 24 July 2023. The review reports that examination of differences within the video showed it was animated, rather than authentic footage. The review also points to the video’s own description, which identifies it as a segment from “X-Plane Flight Simulator.” It says the channel description characterizes its content as clips from video games intended for entertainment. Taken together, the reported provenance and the animated appearance support the conclusion that the footage was misrepresented as a real runway near-miss.

dpa-factcheckingDisasters & emergencies

Ein Video zeigt die Entzündung eines Feuers auf Hawaii.

Publisher’s rating: Das Video ist in Chile aufgenommen worden und hat nichts mit den Bränden auf Maui zu tun.

The claim concerns a clip said to show a building being ignited during the Maui fires. The investigation describes the footage as showing a street where a bright explosion and a beam of light suddenly appear, then checks whether that scene is from Maui: “Zu sehen ist eine Straße in einer Stadt, bei der an einer Stelle auf einmal eine grelle Explosion und ein Lichtstrahl zu sehen sind.” The review reports that a reverse-image search led to a TikTok video identifying Macul, in Santiago, Chile, as the location. It says the investigators compared the scene with Google Maps and matched the street intersection: “Eine Bilder-Rückwärtssuche führt zu einem Video auf Tiktok, das als Ort die Gemeinde Macul in Santiago de Chile angibt. Ein Abgleich mit Google Maps zeigt, dass im Video tatsächlich eine dortige Straßenkreuzung zu sehen ist.” The review also reports that the footage dates to May 2023 and depicts an explosion at an electricity pole, rather than the start of the Maui fires. It notes that the circulating copy had been mirrored, and attributes the apparent beam to light from the explosion reflecting on the camera lens: “Es zeigt die Explosion an einem Strommasten, über die chilenische Journalisten angesichts des spektakulären Videos auch berichtet haben.” The review adds that the cause of the Maui fires was not yet known at the time; it mentions dry conditions and strong winds as relevant circumstances, not as a confirmed cause.