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| - Fact Check: Damaged building from old Taiwan tremor VIRAL as Jan 7 Tibet earthquake
India Today Fact Check found that the video in question is from a devastating earthquake in Taiwan that occurred in April 2024.
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India Today Fact Check
This video dates back to April 3, 2024, and shows the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien, Taiwan.
Early on January 7, a massive magnitude 7.1 earthquake rattled Tibet, with Chinese authorities reporting at least 95 dead. Shocks were felt in neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan and India. A video purportedly showing the effects of this quake has now gone viral. It shows a building on the verge of collapse with dust surrounding the area.
"A devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck parts of China, Taiwan, Nepal, and India earlier today, with its epicentre located in the Tibet Autonomous region near the Nepal border at a depth of 10 kilometres. The powerful tremors, felt as far as Kathmandu and northern India, caused widespread panic as residents evacuated buildings. Early reports indicate significant damage to structures, with fatalities and injuries feared in affected regions. Rescue teams have been deployed, and authorities are assessing the extent of the destruction while urging citizens to remain vigilant for aftershocks," reads the caption of one post featuring the video.
India Today Fact Check found that the video is from Hualien City, Taiwan, and shows a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck it on April 3, 2024.
Our Probe
Reverse-searching keyframes of the viral video led us to a Sky News report uploaded to YouTube featuring the same tilted building but from a different angle. The video was dated April 3, 2024, and mentioned these visuals as the aftermath of an earthquake in Taiwan.
The location of this semi-collapsed, tilted building was revealed as Hualien, Taiwan. Subsequent searches with keywords took us to a Japan Times report dated April 4, 2024, featuring another view of the same building.
Reportedly, a 7.7 magnitude quake, the biggest earthquake to hit Taiwan in the last 25 years, claimed the lives of nine people and injured more than 1,000. The report quoted Deputy Acting Chief of the Hualien Fire Department Lee Lung-Sheng as saying that the building was named Uranus and two floors of the 10-story building went underground as a result of the impact.
The tilted structure, however, did not stand long as officials began the demolition work on April 5 last year. According to local reports, this tilted building soon became the face of the Taiwan earthquake due to its strange appearance.
Thus, it is clear that this video does not show the January 7, 2025 quake that hit Tibet, Nepal, and India.
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