Claim: A video shows several buildings collapsing after a sizable earthquake hit many countries, including Pakistan, on 21 March 2023.
Fact: The video does not show recent visuals from Pakistan. In fact, it is actually from the February 2023 earthquake that struck Turkey.
On Tuesday evening, a powerful 6.5 magnitude earthquake jolted Afghanistan and Pakistan, with tremors felt as far as the Indian capital New Delhi.
In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, at least nine people were killed and 44 injured, and 19 houses were partially damaged during the earthquake, as reported by Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), KP.
Fact or Fiction?
On 21 March 2023, Facebook user Uzair Hassan shared a video claiming that it shows the collapse of buildings following the earthquake that struck Pakistan recently.
Taking a cue from the text juxtaposed on the video that indicates the clip is from Turkey, Soch Fact Check conducted a keyword search using the search term “Buildings collapse after Turkey earthquake AP.” It led us to a YouTube video published on 6 February 2023 by Associated Press’ official account.
The video was also featured by USA Today in an article published on the same date.
The graphic below shows the comparison between the viral video and the AP video.
Soch Fact Check ascertained that the video is originally from Turkey when a 7.8 earthquake struck the country on 6 February 2023.
Virality:
The claim was also found here and here on Facebook.
Uzair Hassan’s video received 1,700 views, while Laraib Ahmed’s video gained 7,500 views.
Conclusion: The video showing the collapse of several buildings is from the February 2023 earthquake in Turkey. It does not show the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Pakistan.