Videos from Thailand and Japan falsely linked to Philippine earthquake
- Published on June 17, 2026 at 07:54
- 4 min read
- By Livia LIU, Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE, Akshita KUMARI, AFP Hong Kong, AFP Thailand, AFP India
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the southern Philippines on June 8 brought down buildings and set off tsunami warnings, but videos circulating on social media that purportedly show the tremor’s impact were in fact filmed in Thailand and Japan. They depict a bridge between buildings damaged by a quake that hit Thailand on March 28, 2025 and large waves off the coast of Japan’s Miyazaki prefecture on June 2, 2026.
"Real-time Status of Two Skyscrapers During the 7.8 Magnitude Major Earthquake in the Philippines!" says the simplified Chinese caption of an X video shared on June 8, 2026.
The video shows debris falling from a skybridge connecting two high-rise buildings.
Another video purportedly showing the impact of the 7.8-magnitude quake was also shared on X on June 9.
"After the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines, a camera captured the tsunami,” says the simplified Chinese caption of the video, which appears to show large waves breaking as they approach the coastline.
The same videos were also shared in similar Facebook, Instagram and X posts, as well as on Chinese social media platforms Weibo and Douyin.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Mindanao island in the southern Philippines on June 8 left at least 68 people dead (archived here and here).
It caused the collapse of buildings, triggered widespread landslides and prompted tsunami warnings in the Philippines and neighbouring countries.
But reverse image searches on Google using keyframes from the circulating videos found they predate the 7.8-magnitude quake, and were in fact filmed in Thailand and Japan.
Bangkok building
The video showing debris falling from a skybridge was previously published on the official YouTube channel of Australian media organisation ABC News on March 29, 2025 (archived link).
Its description says it shows damage to a bridge connecting high-rise apartment buildings in Thailand's capital Bangkok as a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck neighbouring Myanmar.
The quake -- which struck on March 28, 2025 -- killed more than 3,800 people in Myanmar and around 90 more in Thailand (archived link).
The damage was also captured in video filmed from a different angle, shared by local media, and in photos distributed by AFP (archived link).
"The shattered connecting bridge of the luxury 'Park Origin Thonglor' Condominium dangles precariously, a stark symbol of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake's devastating reach from central Myanmar," says the caption of the photo distributed by AFP.
The footage circulating on social media corresponds to Google Street View imagery of the buildings (archived link).
Miyazaki coastline
The clip showing large waves was posted on the official Instagram account of Indian media organisation Times Now on June 3, 2026 (archived link).
"Typhoon Jangmi may have moved away, but its impact continues to be felt along Japan’s southern coastline, where powerful waves are still battering Nichinan City in Miyazaki Prefecture," says its caption.
Subsequent reverse image and keyword searches on Google led to the same footage shared on Threads on June 2 (archived link).
Its Japanese-language caption says, "Nichinan City in Miyazaki Prefecture is now sunny after the typhoon passed. But the sea and rivers are still very rough."
The same user also posted a follow up in English, addressing the false claims (archived link).
"This video is not of a tsunami caused by an earthquake in the Philippines. It shows the waves caused by Typhoon No. 6 that hit Japan on June 2nd," it says.
"I am the one who filmed it. I cannot overlook the media's misinformation and distortion of facts. Please correct it immediately."
Storm Jangmi -- known as Typhoon No. 6 in Japan -- battered the country's southwest, injuring 15 people and prompting calls to evacuate for hundreds of thousands of people due to flooding and landslide risks (archived link).
The storm also knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes and grounded hundreds of flights.
The circulating footage was filmed near to the mouth of the Hiroto River, and corresponds to Google Street View imagery of the area (archived link).
Old videos often resurface in misleading social media posts after natural disasters, and AFP has previously debunked posts that misrepresented outdated footage as depicting the impact of the recent Philippines quake.
Copyright © AFP 2017-2026. 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
