A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, claims to show the Nile River turning red.

BREAKING: Parts of the Nile River have turned red. It is unclear why. pic.twitter.com/d95LWXuWlI

— TRACKER DEEP (@tracker_deep) November 13, 2023

Verdict: False

The video shows a Laguna in Chile.

Fact Check:

Social media users are sharing a video claiming to show parts of the Nile River turning red. One user wrote, “BREAKING: Parts of the Nile River have turned red. It is unclear why.”

This claim is false. The river in the video is not the Nile but a Laguna in Chile. Through a keyword search and reverse image search, Check Your Fact managed to find the Laguna. The mountain in the background of the image below matches the mountain in the X video. (RELATED: Has Israel Said It Has Only Killed 60 Hamas Operatives?)

Screenshot/Google Maps

A Chilean website states that though “there is no conclusive explanation, scientific studies suggest that the red color of the lagoon is due to the presence of sediments and the microalgae Chlamynodephris. Furthermore, it is estimated that its temperature varies between 40ºC and 50ºC.” Check Your Fact could not independently verify this information. 

The Nile River turning red (blood) is shown in the Book of Exodus, a book in the Old Testament of the Bible. It is one of the 10 Plagues inflicted on Egypt by God in Exodus, according to Wikipedia.

Misinformation around incorrectly captioned videos and images is not new. Check Your Fact recently debunked an image claiming to show Israel using white phosphorous in Gaza.