Unrelated visuals used to falsely depict Typhoon Ragasa's impact
- Published on September 30, 2025 at 11:17
- 3 min read
- By Sammy HEUNG, AFP Hong Kong
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"Typhoon Ragasa, the 18th super typhoon, made landfall along the coast," read a Douyin post in simplified Chinese shared on September 24.
"Multiple coastal cities implemented the 'five suspensions', including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Foshan," it added, referring to lockdown measures that shut schools and businesses in major southern Chinese cities where Ragasa ripped down trees and blasted signs off buildings.
The powerful typhoon also swept past Hong Kong, and its passage in Taiwan killed at least 14 and injured dozens more when a barrier lake burst in eastern Hualien county, according to officials (archived link).
The Douyin post gained 25,300 likes and 19,800 shares before it was deleted, and included a video compilation that began with a clip apparently showing a tornado emerging behind a building.
Similar claims were also shared on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
Another compilation depicting the effects of extreme weather events has been shared over 5,000 times after it was posted to Douyin on September 24. The montage begins with a clip of a large cloud looming over a city.
"Typhoon Ragasa destruction compilation. Humans are so insignificant in the face of nature," reads the simplified Chinese caption.
Similar posts also appeared on X and YouTube.
Visual effects
The clip of the supposed tornado was edited with visual effects. AFP debunked earlier claims using the same footage.
A reverse image search of keyframes surfaced a YouTube video posted September 4, 2023 with a caption saying: "Tornado Damage in Coastal Town" (archived link). The channel has a history of sharing edited videos of tornadoes.
A further search found the unedited clip did not feature a tornado -- and was published on YouTube on October 9, 2016 (archived link). The caption says it was filmed in the US state of Florida during Hurricane Matthew.
A comparison with Google Maps street image confirms the location of the mall shown in the clip as South Beach Plaza in Jacksonville, Florida (archived link).
Brazil footage
The clip depicting clouds over a city is unrelated to Ragasa and was in fact filmed in Brazil.
A separate reverse search of keyframes led to a Facebook post from the South American nation's National Institute of Meteorology on September 26, 2023 (archived link).
"In Caxias do Sul, a large cloud moved over the city, leaving the sky dark," it says. "This type of cloud is called a 'shelf' and is associated with the occurrence of thunderstorms."
The meteorological agency also shared a video in the comments showing the same event from a different angle.
The video was filmed near a gas station named Posto Ipiranga in the municipality of Caxias do Sul. Google Maps imagery matches the gas station and the building visible in the clip (archived link).
AFP has also debunked other falsely shared clips of Typhoon Ragasa.
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