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In Pakistan, monsoon season has always been somewhat temperamental, with the ferocity of the summer rain changing in mere seconds. In recent years, climate change has made the mood-swings of the monsoon even worse. This year, heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc in many major cities of the country, but none have been hit harder than those in Balochistan.

The worst hit areas lie within the Lasbela district which is the closest to the Hub Dam and borders Sindh.

A video went viral on social media showing visuals of Army helicopters rescuing people from the flood hit area, claiming rescue operation by Pakistan Armed Forces in Lasbela, Balochistan.

(Screenshot from Twitter post)

Same video was also linked to the crash of Pakistan Army helicopter underway rescue operation in Balochistan on 2nd August 2022.

(Screenshot from Twitter post)

(Screenshot from Twitter post)

Debunked Source

https://twitter.com/verona_wazir/status/1554455257849241601

Fact Check

In order to verify the claim, we extracted key frames of the viral video and performed a reverse image search. Reverse image search revealed that the video dates back to 3rd January 2022 from Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

(Screenshot from Twitter post)

Source

Rating

False Context

Miscaptioned

Conclusion

Our fact check confirmed that the video was from Afghanistan which was falsely linked with flood in Balochistan, Pakistan. Video was cropped, as in the original version Afghans can be seen talking and cheering the rescue operation. 

ABCDE Framework-Based Analysis 

Actor Independent social media accounts and verified fact checking Indian accounts on Twitter are involved in spreading disinformation.
Behavior An old video from Afghanistan is linked to recent flood and armed forces helicopter crashes in Balochistan.  
ContentSocial Media posts. 
DegreeThe content is being spread to highlight the efforts of Pakistan Armed Forces during the flood. Original video was cropped. However, no synthetic means are being used to make the content viral.
Effect The picture is being circulated to mislead the general public and to give credit to armed forces. It was also linked to a helicopter crash which resulted in six casualties. This video was shared by multiple accounts with false context including verified accounts.