This video was published in 2018 news reports about an accident in Guizhou, China

  • This article is more than one year old.
  • Published on May 21, 2020 at 02:59
  • 2 min read
  • By AFP Hong Kong
Footage of an inflatable playground overturning with children still on it has been shared thousands of times in May 2020 on Facebook and YouTube alongside claims that the incident occurred in China. But the claim is misleading; the video was published in 2018 media reports about an accident that happened in China’s Guizhou province.

The 10-second video was published here in a public Facebook group with more than 125,000 members on May 12, 2020.

The post has since been shared nearly 2,000 times.

Image
A screenshot taken on May 15, 2020, of the misleading post by Facebook user Pug Man Tam

The video’s traditional Chinese-language caption translates as: “Latest amusement ride in China, Ocean Park should pack it in”.

Ocean Park is an amusement park located in Hong Kong.

Also in May 2020, the video was shared alongside similar claims on Facebook here, on YouTube here, and by Hong Kong newspaper Headline Daily and news site BastillePost here and here

The claim, however, is misleading.

A keyword search found that the same footage was published here on February 20, 2018, by the Taiwanese branch of Apple Daily, a Hong Kong-based newspaper.

The article's traditional Chinese-language headline states: "Inflatable castle overturned by strong winds / 3 children thrown into air and 2 seriously injured”.

The report reads in part: “Hong Kong Apple Daily reported that on Saturday (February 17), an inflatable castle at a cultural square in Kaili city, Huangping county, was suddenly blown over by strong winds, prompting people to flee with their children. Following the incident, parents were seen leaving the site with their injured children, many of them crying. According to news from the scene, all injured children were sent to hospital for emergency treatment and two of them suffered severe injuries. The local government is investigating the cause of the incident.”

According to Apple Daily, the accident happened in Huangping, a county in Guizhou province, southwest China. 

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the misleading post (L) and the Apply Daily report (R):

Image
Screenshot comparison of the Facebook video (L) and the Apply Daily report (R)

The incident was also reported in February 2018 by Hong Kong newspapers Oriental Daily News and Sing Pao Daily News here and here, and by Taiwanese news channel SET News here.

The exact location where the incident occurred can be seen on Baidu maps here in Huangping county’s Feiyun Square.

Below is a screenshot of the location from Baidu Street View:

Image
Screenshot of the location from Baidu Street View

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

Contact us