Does Viral Video Shows Aftermath Of Tibet Quake In Nepal? A Fact Check

What's the claim?

Following a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck Tibet near the Nepal border on January 7, 2025, a video has gone viral on social media showing a road with large cracks running through it. Several users claimed the video depicts destruction caused by the recent earthquake in Nepal's Lobuche. One such post on X garnered over 50,000 views and more than 160 reposts at the time of writing. Archived versions of similar posts are available here and here.

The video has also gained wide traction on Facebook, with similar claims suggesting it was captured in Nepal after the January 7 earthquake. Archived versions of such posts are accessible here, here, and here.

 Screenshot of claims made online. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

According to a report by The Washington Post, the earthquake near the China-Nepal border claimed at least 125 lives and injured 188 others. The quake struck Tingri County, located on the high Tibetan plateau near Nepal's border.

However, the now-viral video is not related to this recent earthquake. It dates back to 2015, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal near Kathmandu, causing nearly 6,000 deaths, injuring thousands, and resulting in massive infrastructural losses.

What we found

Logically Facts conducted a reverse image search and identified a similar video in an article published by The Guardian on April 25, 2015. The article detailed the catastrophic effects of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal in April 2015. It was among the most powerful earthquakes to hit the region in 80 years.

The viral video and footage from The Guardian share striking similarities. At the 0:27 timestamp of The Guardian's video, individuals can be seen standing near a cracked road, matching the scene shown at the 0:25 mark of the viral clip.

 Comparison showing the scenes in the viral clip and The Guardian clip. (Source: X/ The Guardian)

The viral video also features a Telegraph logo, indicating its origin. A keyword search led to the same clip uploaded on YouTube by The Telegraph (archived here) on April 25, 2015. The video description reads, "Footage shows large cracks opening up in a Kathmandu road, caused by a powerful earthquake that left at least 1,130 dead, according to local police."

Although the video depicts earthquake damage in Nepal, it is from 2015, not the recent event.

The verdict

A video of the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal has been falsely linked to the recent earthquake at the Tibet-Nepal border recorded on January 7, 2025.

(This story was originally published by Logically Facts, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)