Fact Check: AI-Generated Video Goes Viral Claiming to Show Nepal Floods

The disaster in Nepal has caused massive destruction. According to reports so far, more than 300 people have died in landslides and floods, while over 1,500 people are reportedly missing and search operations are underway. Amid the disaster, several videos are going viral on social media, showing the devastation caused by the floods. In some videos, even a huge boulder can be seen being swept away by the floodwaters. Several other videos have also gone viral, showing people running to save their lives.

Meanwhile, a video is going viral on social media claiming to show the Nepal disaster. In the video, a market is suddenly devastated by floodwaters, with several houses appearing to be swept away. Sharing the video, a user wrote, “You will be shocked after seeing this video of the Nepal Flood. See how everything was destroyed within just 1 minute.”

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Ashok Shera another user also shared the same video with the caption, “The condition of Nepal yesterday.”

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Fact check:

The DFRAC team investigated the viral video and found that it is not authentic footage of the disaster in Nepal. Rather, the video is AI-generated. We contacted AI expert Kumar Aniket regarding the viral video. In his analysis, Aniket also found a high probability that the video was AI-generated.

Upon closely examining the video, we found several inconsistencies that are commonly observed in AI-generated content. For instance, in the footage before the flood enters the market, there are no trees in front of any of the houses. However, after the flooding, trees can be seen outside two houses, and they appear to fall. Similarly, a pickup vehicle is visible in the video and appears to overturn due to the floodwaters, but in the very next moment, it becomes upright again without any visible movement.

During further investigation, our team analyzed the viral video using AI detection tools Hive Moderation and Humanmeter. Both tools indicated a high probability that the video was AI-generated. Hive Moderation estimated a 66.8% probability that the video was AI-generated, while Humanmeter indicated an 80% probability of AI-generated content.

For a detailed analysis of the viral video, our team contacted AI expert Kumar Aniket. He pointed out several inconsistencies that are generally associated with AI-generated content. For example, cars and pickup vehicles parked at the location suddenly disappear when the flooding begins, while motorcycles can be seen being swept away in the direction of the water flow. The way the motorcycles are swept away also appears unnatural, as if they are being carried away while still standing on their stands, which would generally not happen in a real-life situation. Additionally, the flow of water and the sudden appearance of a large number of huge rocks on the roads further indicate that the video does not depict a real incident.

Conclusion:

The DFRAC fact check makes it clear that the video going viral on social media is not authentic footage of the Nepal disaster. It is an AI-generated video being circulated with a misleading claim.