Video shows building in Saudi Arabia, not collateral from the earthquake that rocked Turkey, Syria
If your time is short
- This footage was filmed in Saudi Arabia and predates the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
In the video, a multi-story building collapses, sending plumes of dust and debris billowing near a busy street.
“THIS IS HEARTBREAKING,” a Feb. 8 Facebook post sharing the video said. “Let us all reflect for a moment. The earthquake in Turkey: About 380,000 without a roof. About 6,000 dead, expected to rise to 20,000. About 45,000 are missing. 8500 buildings collapsed”
It cites a person as the source of the video with the date Feb. 8.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
But this video has been online since well before the earthquake that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6.
It was posted on TikTok on Jan. 16, with a caption in Arabic that Google translated to mean “Jeddah, Kilo 3, Old Makkah Road.”
Old Makkah Road is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In response to Belgian fact-checker Brecht Castel’s appeal for help finding the true location of the misidentified video, one user shared a 2017 image of the building on Google Maps, writing, “that’s the demolition of this building” in Jeddah.
We rate claims it shows a building falling in the recent Turkey-Syria earthquake False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Feb. 8, 2023
TikTok post, Jan. 16, 2023
Brecht Castel tweet, Feb. 6, 2023
Google Maps, Mecca Mall kilo 3, captured February 2017
