This video of people screaming as ceiling collapses does not show June earthquake in the Philippines
If your time is short
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The video was posted in 2023, showing a different earthquake.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake off the southern Philippines on June 8 local time has killed at least 35 people, injured hundreds and destroyed buildings.
Online, people shared real footage of the destruction, but one video was captioned misleadingly.
“7.8 earthquake hits the Philippines today!!” a June 7 X post read, containing a video that showed people fleeing and screaming while debris fell from the building’s ceiling. It gained more than 488,000 views within 16 hours of being posted.
The footage was not taken during the June earthquake; it captured a different earthquake that shook the Philippines two years ago.
Reverse-image search showed this video was uploaded by multiple accounts on Nov. 17, 2023, when a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the nation’s south. That earthquake killed 11 people.
PolitiFact was unable to find the original 2023 post, but a couple of accounts credited the video to “Dave Miles.” The captions pinpoint the location to a mall in General Santos City, which is consistent with photos posted by a news outlet.
Either way, the video is not from June in the Philippines. We rate that False.
Our Sources
The Associated Press, A 7.8 magnitude quake in the Philippines kills at least 35, collapses buildings and sparks tsunami, June 8, 2026
X post, June 7, 2026
X post, Nov. 17, 2023
X post, Nov. 17, 2023
Facebook post, Nov. 17, 2023
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Primer on the 17 November 2023 Magnitude (Mw) 6.8 Offshore Davao Occidental Earthquake, Nov. 18, 2023
ABS-CBN News, Mindanao quake death toll rises to 11, Nov. 21, 2023
Facebook post, Nov. 17, 2023
Facebook post by SunStar Davao, Nov. 17, 2023
