A video showing the aftermath of a car accident in Istanbul, Türkiye is being shared with the misleading claim that it shows destruction on the streets of the city after an earthquake struck hours later
On November 23, 2022, a strong earthquake hit Türkiye's northwestern Duzce province early in the morning leaving at least 80 people injured, including one in critical condition according to the country's disaster agency reported TRT World. The tremors of the quake were also felt in Istanbul which is around 200 km east of Duzce province.
The viral video is being shared with the caption, "A magnitude 6.0 Earthquake has struck an area of western Turkey near the town of #Duzce, about 210km (130 miles) east of #Turkey largest city #Istanbul. #istanbuldeprem #kayseri #deprem #düzce #Earthquake"
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The same video is being shared with the false claim widely on Facebook.
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FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral video is from a car accident in Istanbul, Türkiye on November 23, 2022, that occurred at around 1.20 am, which is just hours before the earthquake struck Duzce province in Türkiye at 04:08 am.
Several tweet replies pointed out that the video is unrelated and from an accident that occurred the same day earlier. Taking a hint from this we search with relevant keywords like 'accident', and 'Istanbul' in Turkish and English and found news reports on the incident.
Eight people including a baby were injured in the accident involving 12 vehicles at the Mecidiyeköy section of the D-100 highway in Şişli, İstanbul reported TRT Haber
The visuals and cars seen in the below news report match the footage we can see in the viral video. This shows that it is from an accident and not from the earthquake that stuck later.
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Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) had stated that a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Duzce province at 4:08 am on November 23, 2022, reported TRT World. Whereas the accident in Istanbul occurred at 1.20 am in the night on November 23, 2022, as reported by Turkish channel A Haber.
The earthquake struck around three hours after the chain traffic accident had already taken place which shows that the accident was not related to the earthquake that struck Istanbul later early morning.
The same visuals seen in the viral video can also be seen in the below news report by the Turkish news outlet Ihlas News Agency.
