Video shows man escaping fire in Mexico, not Liam Payne's fall from hotel balcony in Argentina
- Published on October 21, 2024 at 06:45
- 4 min read
- By Devesh MISHRA, AFP India
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Warning: graphic footage
"VERY SAID BREAKING (sic):- Liam Payne has died at the age of 31 after reportedly falling from a balcony in Argentina. We are extremely shocked and heartbroken to hear this news. Sending our love to his family, friends and fans around the world. #LiamPayne," read the caption of a post shared by an India-based user on X on October 17, 2024.
The clip -- viewed more than 500,000 times -- shows a man falling out of a building. Fire can be seen erupting from the window he escapes through.
The death of Liam Payne was confirmed on the evening of October 16, after he fell from the third floor of the CasaSur Hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires (archived link).
The 31-year-old singer died from the blows he suffered during the fall, according to the preliminary autopsy report released by the Prosecutor's Office, which confirmed the discovery of alcohol and suspected narcotic substances in his room.
The video was also shared with a similar false claim in India, Indonesia and the United States.
But the video is unrelated to Payne's death.
Mexico fire
A Google reverse image search of the video found a similar screenshot from the footage published in a Spanish media report on September 13, 2023 (archived link).
According to the report, the man fell from his bedroom window after a fire broke out in his apartment in Mexico City.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the false post (left) and the image published in the media report (right):
Content warning
The report said the injured person survived and was taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention, according to the Mexico City Fire Department.
The incident was also reported by Mexican media outlets here, here and here (archived links here, here and here).
AFP was able to confirm the location of the video by comparing the visuals with Google Maps imagery of Mexico City's Republica de Cuba street (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the video (left) and its corresponding location on Google Maps (right) with similar elements highlighted:
Moreover, visuals of the CasaSur Hotel in Argentina's Palermo neighbourhood do not match the footage in the false posts (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the building in the false post (left) and an image of the hotel on Google Maps (right):
Content warning
Payne was not reported to have fallen on a public street, unlike what is shown in the false posts.
AFP debunked other false claims related to Payne's death.
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