Old New Zealand photo falsely shared as impact of Myanmar earthquake

Published on April 1, 2025 at 06:38
2 min read
By AFP Thailand

A catastrophic earthquake in Myanmar killed more than 2,000, buckled roads and collapsed buildings in the country's largest cities, but a photo of a large crack in a street shared online in fact shows quake damage in New Zealand. The street in Christchurch cracked open after a 6.3 magnitude tremor struck the country in 2011.

The photo was shared on Facebook on March 28, with a Burmese-language caption that reads, "Taunggyi earthquake was so scary".

Taunggyi is located 167 kilometres (104 miles) southeast of Sagaing, where a shallow magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck on March 28, buckling roads and flattening buildings as far away as Bangkok (archived link).

The ruling junta said on March 31 that 2,056 have now been confirmed dead, with more than 3,900 people injured and 270 still missing. At least 19 people died in neighbouring Thailand.

Screenshot of the false post on Facebook, captured on March 31, 2025

The junta says it is doing its best to respond to the disaster but there have been multiple reports in recent days of the military carrying out airstrikes on armed groups opposed to its rule, even as the country reels from the quake's devastation.

The photo showing a large crack in a road appeared elsewhere on Facebook, alongside claims it showed the destruction in Myanmar.

But the photo is from New Zealand in 2011.

A reverse image search on Google found the same photo on the website of British photo agency Alamy, published on March 20, 2011 (archived link).

"Large cracks appear in Christchurch in massive earthquake," reads the photo caption. A further description states the photo was taken at the Fitzgerald Avenue bridge over the Avon River.

Screenshot comparison of the photo from the fasle post (left0 to the Alamy photo

Christchurch was hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake on February 23, 2011, which left 185 dead and cost the country billions of dollars in damages (archived link).

The area can be seen on Google Maps Street View imagery from 2007 below (archived link):

Screenshot comparison of the photo from Alamy (left) to the Google Street View photo with similarities highlighted by AFP.

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