Flood-related fake news flooding Facebook

Bangladesh is currently experiencing severe flooding. With the tension and uneasiness that comes with a national crisis, comes a torrent of fake news and misinformation regarding it on social media platforms like Facebook. 

To stay on top of currently trending fake news regarding the recent flooding in Bangladesh, here is a compilation of some Facebook posts that have been proven to be false by Rumor Scanner, a Bangladeshi fact-checking organisation.

Man carrying baby in "Feni"

The above image, depicting a man carrying his baby on a dish amidst an uncontrollable flood, is currently trending on Facebook as a snapshot of the situation in Feni, Bangladesh.

However, Rumor Scanner has found out that the image originates from a Times of India X post, dated August 20, 2024 - before the flooding began in Bangladesh. Moreover, the post on X describes the image to be from Tripura, a state in Northeast India. The same image can also be seen shared by the Communist Party of India on X, which is also dated August 20, 2024.

You can find a screenshot of the Times of India X post here. You can find the X post by the Communist Party of India here.

Man carrying kittens in Bangladeshi flood

Another image similar to the last one: this time, a man carrying kittens, has also been shared multiple times on Facebook, with many netizens claiming this to be from an unnamed area in Bangladesh.

However, upon reverse searching the image, Rumor Scanner has found out that the image is from the stock image website Alamy. As per the description in the Alamy link, the image was uploaded on September 10, 2011, by Associated Press, and is of a man from Orissa, India. You can find the original image on Alamy here.

"Noakhali" flooded

As per recent news, Noakhali has been a victim of the recent flooding and waterlogging, with many victims currently trapped amidst the crisis. In light of this, two images have been circulating on Facebook claiming to be from Noakhali.

As per the investigation by Rumor Scanner, neither of the images are from the present time or Noakhali. The first image (top) is from June 20, 2024, showing an aerial view of a flooded area in Companigang of Sylhet, as per the description stated in Getty Images, where the original image stems from. You can find the image here.

The second image (bottom), when reverse searched, was found to be from a June 29, 2020, report from The Times of India, which describes the affected location to be a village in Assam, with Reuters credited as the image source. You can find the image here.

Cattle being washed away in "Sylhet" flood

A video claiming to be of cattle being washed away in a flood in Sylhet has been circulating on both Facebook and TikTok. 

Upon investigation by Rumor Scanner, it was found that the footage of the flooded cattle is actually from a July 28, 2020, video uploaded on YouTube by a Mexican news platform Imagen Television. The video, titled 'Overflow of the Zacualpan River in Nayarit drags cattle | From Pisa and Run' (translated) was a video report of the overflow of the Zacualpan River in Nayarit, Mexico. You can find the video here.

Strong torrents in "Noakhali"

A video of strong torrents of water claiming to be from Noakhali has recently been circulating on Facebook.

However, in a post on the official Rumor Scanner Bangladesh Facebook group, Tanvir Mahatab Abir, Senior Fact Checker at Rumor Scanner, has found out that this video is originally from a video uploaded on August 8, 2024, by HUM News, an Urdu news channel based in Pakistan. The video, titled 'Flood situation in different areas after rains in Pakistan', describes that the Indus River had reached a minimum flood level at the Guddu Barrage in Sindh province in Pakistan, due to heavy monsoon rainfall upstream. You can find the video here.