Fact Check: Viral video of overcrowded train misattributed to India

Siddharth Urmil March 12, 2025

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Claim

A viral video shows an overcrowded train with passengers traveling on the rooftop of the carriage. A user shared the video with the caption: “Ohioans cheering on the arrival of Vivek,” misattributing it to the Indian railway system.

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Fact Check

DFRAC conducted a reverse image search of a keyframe from the video clip to authenticate the claim. This led us to a YouTube video that provided us with more context about the train and its actual location. The video, uploaded by Voice of America in August 2019, depicted a ‘mass exodus’ of travelers in Bangladesh for Eid al-Adha.

A screenshot of a YouTube video by Voice of America (VOA) titled 'Mass Exodus of Travelers in Bangladesh for Eid al-Adha.' The video, uploaded on August 11, 2019, shows a crowded train in Bangladesh with passengers climbing onto the roof and hanging from the doors. A red and white text box highlights the video's title, confirming the location and event. The train is painted green and orange, with 'Bangladesh Railway' visible on its side. The DFRAC watermark in the top right corner suggests the image is part of a fact-checking report, debunking any false claims about the video's origin.

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Notably, the train carriage exterior has the same design and color as seen in the video shared by the claimant. Another video, posted on Facebook by UNILAD Adventure on 28 September 2025, features the same design of the train with the caption that reads: “Train travel in Bangladesh is something else”.

A screenshot of a Facebook video posted by UNILAD Adventure on September 28, 2022, showing a crowded train in Bangladesh. The viral video title, 'Train Travel in Bangladesh is Something Else,' is highlighted in red, confirming the location. The train is painted green and orange, with passengers sitting on the roof and hanging from the sides. The post has 175K views, over 2K reactions, and multiple comments discussing the risks of overcrowded train travel. The DFRAC watermark in the top right corner suggests the image is part of a fact-checking report verifying the video's authenticity and origin.

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In addition to this, a Facebook post dated 10 March 2025 carried the same video as the claimant’s one. The video is marked with Bangladesh, along with the text: “The Most Crowded Train in the World”.

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Conclusion

Hence, the fact-check by DFRAC clearly shows that the train features in the viral video is from Bangladesh and does not depict scenes from railways in India.