A recent TikTok video claiming to show the devastating landslide in Gofa, Ethiopia, went viral, garnering more than three millions of views and sparking widespread concern.
The video, which surfaced on TikTok in late July 2024, depicted a massive landslide engulfing a hillside, with debris and dust billowing into the air. The caption accompanying the video explicitly stated it was from Gofa, Ethiopia, where a devastating landslide had recently occurred.
The landslide in Gofa, Ethiopia, which occurred on July 22nd, tragically claimed hundreds of lives, including those of security officers and rescue team members. In the aftermath, a multitude of reports, images, and videos have emerged. Haqcheck has thoroughly examined the incident and compiled comprehensive reports, ultimately debunking the authenticity of the above video.
Footage showed hundreds of people gathered at the scene and others digging in the dirt in search of people trapped underneath.
In the background, a hillside can be seen partially collapsed and a large patch of red earth has been exposed. Heavy rains caused a landslide on Sunday, and as police officers, teachers and residents from nearby villages frantically continued with search-and-rescue operations on Monday, a second landslide occurred, burying them too under the mud.
The death toll from the landslide has risen to 257 and could reach up to 500. More than 15,500 people were affected by the landslides, including at least 1,320 children under the age of five and 5,293 pregnant and nursing mothers, according to the latest situation update by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
A closer look revealed the video shared on the TikTok account was actually footage of a landslide disaster in Meghalaya, India, that occurred in 2022.
This claim quickly gained traction, with users expressing shock and sharing the video widely. Through an investigation similar video was primarily reported by CNN-News18, an Indian news outlet, as a landslide disaster in Meghalaya, India, that happened in June 2022.
In this case, the false claim about the Gofa landslide could have potentially caused unnecessary distress and fear among viewers.
Even Though, the claim was shared at the backdrop of this situation HaqCheck examined the video and rendered it false.
