Photo shows overflowing Indian river, not floodwaters in Sri Lanka
- Published on December 11, 2025 at 07:40
- 2 min read
- By Sachin BAGHEL, AFP India
Monsoon rains in Sri Lanka intensified under the influence of a cyclonic storm and triggered destructive flooding in the island nation in late November 2025, but a photo purportedly illustrating the devastation circulating on social media was in fact taken in India. The picture was taken in September by an AFP photographer, and similar footage was published by a local newspaper in Hyderabad, in the southern Indian state of Telangana.
"Sri Lanka Floods Kill 56, Widespread Damage," reads superimposed text on a graphic shared on the official Facebook page of broadcaster Goa365 on November 28, 2025.
The graphic features a photo of an under-construction pillar surrounded by floodwaters.
It circulated as a storm moving across Sri Lanka's eastern region intensified monsoon rainfall, triggering flooding and landslides (archived link).
More than two million people -- nearly 10 percent of the population -- have been affected by the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah, the island's worst storm this century (archived link).
The Disaster Management Centre has confirmed 639 deaths, with another 193 people unaccounted for since November 27.
The photo was also shared by other news outlets in similar Facebook and X posts.
But it was taken in India's southern Telangana state, not Sri Lanka.
A reverse image search on Google led to the same photo on the Getty Images website, where it is credited to AFP (archived link).
Its description in AFP's archive says it shows the Musi River in Telangana's capital Hyderabad after heavy monsoon rains on September 27.
Local media reported that incessant rain and the lifting of gates at two overflowing major reservoirs had caused flooding in the Indian city, leading to the evacuation of residents in low-lying areas (archived link).
The Hyderabad-based Deccan Herald newspaper also posted a video showing the same spot on its verified X account on September 27 (archived link).
Moreover, the falsely shared image corresponds to Google Street View imagery of the Musi River in Hyderabad (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation related to misrepresented footage of flooding.
Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
