This footage shows a train accident in China in 2010
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on May 6, 2020 at 10:40
- 3 min read
- By AFP Hong Kong
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The two-minute 20-second video has been viewed more than 600 times after it was published on Twitter here on April 22, 2020.
The post’s simplified Chinese caption translates to English as: “Chinese mainland train 165 from Xi'an to Kunming, bridge washed away, carriages in the middle fell into the river, just happened.”
Below is a screenshot of the misleading tweet:
The footage includes audible voices speaking Mandarin, some of which translate to English as: “Right here, look! Rescue vehicle is ahead”; “165, from Xi’an to Kunming...Here we are!”; “Oh see…It’s the middle two carriages!”; “Have you filmed the carriages in the water?”
The same footage was also shared alongside a similar claim on Twitter here, here and here; and on YouTube here. It circulated in other posts claiming that the incident occurred in 2019 on Facebook here, here and here; and on Twitter here.
However, these claims are false; the video shows a train accident in China in 2010.
A keyword search found that Chinese state media organisation China Daily reported on the accident in an article published here on August 19, 2010. The article's headline translates to English as: “Train cars fall into river in SW China, no injuries” and includes a photo of the accident.
The photo’s caption reports that two train carriages from the “K165 train from Xi'an to Kunming” were swept into a “river after floods destroyed a bridge in Guanghan, Sichuan province.”
Below is a screenshot of the China Daily article:
Below is a comparison of screenshots from the misleading Twitter video (L) and the photo from the China Daily news report (R):
The 2010 incident was also widely reported by other Chinese media outlets, including here by China Network Television and here by Xi’an Daily newspaper.
The site of the accident in Guanghan city can be seen on Google Maps here.
In February 2011, some six months after the accident, the train’s crew was awarded in the annual Touching China ceremony, which honours brave and extraordinary actions by citizens. The crew was recognised for safeguarding passengers during the accident and can be seen being honoured here (51:18 - 59:30) in a broadcast by Chinese state-owned television network CCTV.
Below is a screenshot of the TV programme:
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