This photo was taken in Uttarakhand in 2016, not in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021

  • This article is more than one year old.
  • Published on August 2, 2021 at 11:57
  • 2 min read
  • By AFP India

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A photo of muddy water gushing through a street has been shared in Facebook posts that claim it shows flooding in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on July 28, 2021. The photo, however, has been shared in a misleading context; it shows damage caused by a cloudburst in 2016 in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. 

The photo was shared here on July 28 by a Facebook page with more than 90,000 followers. 

"*FLASH* *40 People Reportedly Missing After Cloudburst In Jammu And Kashmir’s Kishtwar*," the post reads.

"A cloud burst has occured in village Honjar Dacchan in Kistwar district of Jammu. Reportedly 40 people are missing. Rescue operation Underway. As per latest *reports, 4 dead bodies have been recovered* in Honzar cloudburst in Dachan, Kishtwar *Further details awaited*".

Screenshot of the misleading post taken on July 30, 2021

At least seven people have died and 19 are reported missing after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in India’s northernmost Jammu and Kashmir state on July 28, Hindustan Times reported.

Similar Facebook posts were shared here, here and here. 

However,  the photo has been shared in a misleading context. It actually shows the aftermath of a cloudburst in India's northern Uttarakhand state in July 2016. 

A reverse image search on TinEye led to this July 1, 2016 report of a cloudburst in Uttarakhand by local news outlet India Today, which features the same photo. 

The headline of the article reads: "Uttarakhand: 30 feared dead in cloudburst; Chamoli, Pithoragarh worst hit".

The caption to the photo reads, "Houses washed away in flash flood. (Photo: ANI)."

Below is a comparison of the photo used in the misleading Facebook posts (L) and the 2016 photo on the website of India Today (R).

 

The same photo was also used in this tweet published on the same day by Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI), giving updates about the cloudburst in Uttarakhand. 

The post's caption reads: "River Alaknanda rises above the danger level mark after a cloudburst in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand."

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