Video shows gas cylinder fire in Mumbai, not Indian strike on Pakistan

Published on May 13, 2025 at 09:06
3 min read
By Akshita KUMARI, AFP India

A video of a gas cylinder truck exploding in India's largest city Mumbai was shared on social media in posts falsely linking it to Indian strikes on Pakistan in May 2025, before the rivals agreed to halt the worst violence between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades. The footage previously circulated online in March, predating the conflict triggered by a deadly attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir.

"Revenge of Poonch - smoke in Sialkot, the Indian army is fully ready. This time nothing will be forgiven," reads the caption of a Facebook video shared on May 8, 2025.

The video, which was viewed more than 2,000 times, shows explosions emanating from a truck and efforts to extinguish the fire.

The footage surfaced in social media posts after India said it had struck "terrorist camps" in Pakistan on May 7 in retaliation for a deadly attack on tourists on its side of disputed Kashmir on April 22 (archived link). New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the attack -- a claim rejected by Pakistan.

The initial strike was followed by four days of intense fighting that killed at least 60 people on both sides until US President Donald Trump announced a truce on May 10 (archived link).

The frontier town of Poonch in Indian-administered Kashmir was one of the worst-hit regions, with at least 12 residents killed and most of the estimated 60,000 residents fleeing their homes.

Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on May 8, 2025

The circulating video, however, predates the latest conflict.

A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to similar footage of the fire shared on X by the Times of India on March 25 (archived link).

"Massive fire erupts in Mumbai’s Dharavi after leakage from a LPG gas cylinder atop a truck carrying several cylinders," reads its caption.

In a separate report, the Indian newspaper said the fire broke out near the Dharavi bus depot on the Sion-Dharavi Link Road along a nature park (archived here and here).

A resident sent AFP a photo that showed the street lamps and decorative lights along the road.

Comparison of the street lamps seen in falsely shared video (left) and the photo taken by a local resident (right)

Indian news channel ABP Majha published more footage from the fire on YouTube in its report about the incident on March 24 (archived link).

The conflict between India and Pakistan triggered a flurry of misinformation online, debunked by AFP here.

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