This video shows a helicopter crash in Afghanistan in 2022, not Pakistan

This article is more than one year old.
Published on August 5, 2022 at 11:33
2 min read
By AFP Pakistan

A video of a helicopter plunging into floodwaters has been viewed tens of thousands of times alongside a claim it was filmed in August 2022 in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan. The footage circulated online after a Pakistani military helicopter crashed in the province, killing six officers onboard. But the video has been shared in a false context: it predates the Pakistan helicopter crash and has circulated in multiple news reports that state it was filmed in Afghanistan in January 2022.

The one-minute 13-second video has been viewed more than 56,000 times after it was posted here on Facebook on August 2, 2022.

The video shows a helicopter flying over vehicles submerged in floodwaters before crashing nearby.

The post's Urdu-language caption translates to English as: "Visuals of a helicopter crash near Winder near the shrine of Sassi Pannu."

Winder is a town in southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan where a Pakistani military helicopter crashed on August 1.

The post circulated online after the helicopter went missing with six passengers and crew -- including one of the army's top commanders, Lieutenant-General Sarfraz Ali -- in southwestern Pakistan.

In a statement, the military said everyone on board the helicopter died in a crash, which it said was caused by bad weather, AFP reported here.

A screenshot taken on August 4, 2022, of the misleading Facebook post ( AFP)

Many Facebook users appeared to believe the footage shows the military helicopter crash in Balochistan.

"May Allah accord a high status to martyrs: Amen," commented one Facebook user.

"May Allah make it easier for the souls of the deceased to transit to their final place," another wrote.

The same video was shared here and here on Facebook; and here, here and here on Twitter alongside a similar claim.

The video, however, has been shared in a false context.

Afghanistan helicopter crash

A reverse image search of the video's keyframes found it has been circulating online since January 2022 in reports about a helicopter crash in the Afghan province of Kandahar.

Indian media outlet Zee News included the video in a report about the helicopter crash published here on January 7, 2022.

The video's caption reads: "Taliban pilots crash MD-530 helicopter near Kandahar during training."

"It is the first helicopter crash after the recapturing of power by Taliban in Afghanistan. Taliban's untrained pilots crashed this helicopter," a reporter's voice says.

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August last year following the withdrawal of US-led international forces.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the false posts (left) and the Zee News report (right):

Indian news outlet Mojo News also used the same footage in this video report on YouTube on January 5, 2022.

The caption reads: "A Taliban helicopter crashed in Kandahar, while on rescue mission during floods."

The same footage was also posted by Afghan news agency Aamaj News on YouTube here saying it shows a Taliban helicopter crash in Kandahar.

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