A video showing panic among beachgoers is being shared online with the false claim that it captures a mass evacuation from the coral beach in Eilat, Israel, after residents heard the sound of Iranian missiles.
BOOM found that the visuals are from Florida, United States. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the panic among spring breakers at Daytona Beach was triggered by people crushing water bottles in March this year.
The Claim
An X handle posted the video with the caption saying, "URGENT Mass evacuation from the coral beach in Eilat after residents heard the sounds of shahr"] and "] missiles from Iran — WATCH."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
What We Found: Video Is From Florida, US
1. Video Shot At Daytona Beach
We broke the viral video into keyframes and found a report by New York Post dated March 16, 2026, which carried the same footage. The report cited a verified handle on X and stated that the visuals show spring break beachgoers fleeing the sand at Daytona Beach after gunshots were heard over the weekend.
About the viral video, NY Post reported, "In one of the chaotic incidents, footage shot from a hotel balcony captured the moment screaming, bikini-clad sunbathers scattered on the beach after a shot was fired on Saturday."
Other than NY Post, Daily Mail, and 9 News Sydney, several other news outlets also initially reported the same about the incident.
2. Clarification From Volusia Sheriff’s Office
A video report by FOX 35 Orlando published on March 17, 2026 credited the video to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. Taking a cue, we checked the Sheriff’s Office’s verified handle on X and found that it called out news reports and social media posts claiming the visuals showed crowds fleeing due to gunfire.
The office said that there were no shootings on the beach that weekend. It added that the panic was actually triggered by sounds like crushed water bottles, or in some cases, people reacting to the tides. In another post, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office clarified that Daytona Beach Police Department is investigating four shooting incidents reported in the city on March 14, 2026, but the viral visuals are not linked to any of those incidents or to shots being fired.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood’s clarification on the matter can be seen below.
