FACT CHECK: Photo Taken In 2018, Not During Recent Earthquake In Taiwan
A post shared on social media purportedly shows an image of a building that collapsed during a recent earthquake in Taiwan.
View this post on Instagram
Verdict: False
The claim is false. One of the photos was taken during the 2018 earthquake.
Fact Check:
Japan suffered an earthquake with a magnitude above 7 which injured thousands and also experienced a small tsunami which caused no damage, according to AP News. Taiwan officials say that 64 people are trapped in a coal mine and other 6 workers are trapped in a different mine, The Guardian reported.
A post shared on Instagram allegedly shows two photos that were taken after the recent earthquake in Taiwan. One image shows a building severely tilted as aid workers wait outside and the other shows a damaged road.
The caption reads, “BREAKING: Scary Visuals Coming From Taiwan Where A 7.5 Scale Earthquake Hit Today. A Tsunami is Also Warned Off The Coast Of Japan.”
The claim the image of the tilted building is from 2024 is false. The image was taken in 2018 after an earthquake in Taiwan, as can be seen in an article from The Washington Post.
The second image in the post was taken in 2024 and shows cleanup crews surveying the damage caused by the recent quake in Taiwan. CNN reported it was the strongest earthquake in 25 years. Nine people died and it damaged over 100 buildings. (RELATED: No, The Guardian Did Not Published A Headline Labeling Afternoon Tea As Racist)
This is not the first time misinformation has been shared online. Check Your Fact debunked a claim that a video shows Barack Obama saying the U.S. trained ISIS.
