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| - A video showing the domed part of a mosque on fire is being shared on social media, where users have insinuated that the video is from Bangladesh.
Some users sharing the clip have also claimed that it shows visuals from India.
(Archived versions of more posts sharing this claim can be seen here, here, and here.)
Is it true?: No, the video is from Indonesia's Luwuk, where a shop caught on fire in the town's Central Market on 8 December.
The fire spread to the mosque next door, among several other establishment, engulfing them completely.
How did we find out the truth?: Using Google Lens, we ran a reverse image search on the viral video.
This led us to an Indonesia-based Facebook page called 'Tolitoli News', which had shared visuals resembling the viral video in a post on 8 December.
Its caption, when translated, said, "A great fire broke out in the Central Market, Luwuk, Banggai, Sunday, December 8, 2024 morning (sic)."
News reports: Taking a cue from the location mentioned, we looked for more details using the keywords 'Luwuk Central Market fire' in Indonesian (kebakaran pasar sentral Luwuk) on Google and YouTube.
We found similar visuals in a video report on Indonesian news outlet Kupang News's verified YouTube channel.
A news report by Tribun News said that a merchant's stall had caught fire in Luwuk's Central Market on 8 December.
Since the stalls in the market were mostly made of wood, the fire spread quickly, engulfing the neighbouring mosque and dozens of shops in the market.
The authorities said that while there was no loss of life in the fire, "the material loss is estimated to reach billions of rupiah," the report said.
We also found the street-view of the mosque on Google Maps, which showed the structure before it caught fire.
Conclusion: A video of a mosque which caught fire in a market in Indonesia's Sulawesi is being shared with the false claim that it shows visuals from India or Bangladesh.
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