FACT CHECK: No, Gym Video Does Not Show The Recent Earthquake In The Philippines
A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, allegedly shows footage of an earthquake causing the roof of a gymnasium to collapse in on itself in the Philippines.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 occurred in the Philippines. There were places that collapsed after the earthquake. #earthquake #Philippines #Filipinler #Deprem #news #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/jU1CibYARc
— NOAH (@noahwarpress) December 2, 2023
Verdict: False
The video does not depict the recent quake in the Philippines this year. Instead, it shows one that occurred in Taiwan in 2022.
Fact Check:
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippines island of Mindanao just after 10:30 p.m. Saturday local time, according to USA Today. The quake killed at least one person and thousands were advised to evacuate, including in Japan, Al Jazeera reported.
An X video allegedly shows footage of this earthquake. The video shows children playing badminton in a gymnasium when the ceiling suddenly caves in and they flee.
“An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 occurred in the Philippines. There were places that collapsed after the earthquake,” the post reads.
This video is miscaptioned, however. It was posted by NBC News in 2022 under the title “Watch: Earthquake ceiling collapse scatters athletes at Taiwan sports club.” Its description reads, “Badminton players at a fifth-floor sports center in Taoyuan ran for their lives as the ceiling caved in during a powerful earthquake. Elsewhere in the country, first responders worked to rescue people trapped under the rubble.”
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck southeastern Taiwan in September 2022, causing the steel ceiling of an indoor badminton court to collapse and injuring a 36-year-old man, according to Taiwan News.
The video was also posted by the Weather Channel in 2022 with the title “6.9 Quake Collapses Gym Ceiling.” The description of the video further identifies the location as Taiwan. (RELATED: Was Hurricane Lee Geoengineered?)
Check Your Fact has reached out to the Weather Channel and NBC News for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received from either source.
