The ongoing flash floods due to heavy rains and the rush of water from upstream have wreaked havoc in 12 districts including Feni, Noakhali, Comilla, Chittagong and Sylhet.
The flood has caused significant damage in Bangladesh.
Witnessing the misery of flood-affected people, general people are also being mentally disturbed.
Amidst the widespread suffering, many rumors are circulating on social media.
While people across Bangladesh are eager to know about the flood-affected individuals, a dishonest group is busy spreading misinformation about the flood. These rumors are causing panic among the public.
Let's take a look at some of these circulating rumors that are appearing on social media including Facebook, Tiktok.
Innocent child looking curiously
In the image, we see an innocent child looking curiously. The sight of the child in such a situation is distressing. However, you might be surprised to learn that this image is generated by artificial intelligence. While it might deceive the casual observer, a closer look reveals that a part of the child's lip is incomplete according to the nose. Additionally, the proximity of the child's face to the water and the curious expression don’t quite match. If we want to confirm whether the image is AI-generated, it shows a 90% probability of being created by AI!
Man carrying a baby in Bangladesh flood
The above image, depicting a man carrying his baby on a dish amidst an uncontrollable flood, is currently trending on Facebook as a snapshot of the situation in Feni, Bangladesh.
Although this image is claimed to be from the flood-affected Feni district, a reverse image search reveals that the photo actually shows a flood-affected area in Tripura, India.
This image was published on August 20 by an Indian media Twitter account.
A minor boy being held by another boy in floodwater
A video that was originally published on May 28 by a news outlet claiming to show the inundation of low-lying areas in Bhola due to embankment breaches is now being circulated as footage from the current flood.
Many people are sharing it without realizing that it is not related to the recent floods.
Man carrying kittens in Bangladeshi flood
Another image showing a man carrying kittens has been widely circulated on Facebook, with numerous users claiming it is from an undisclosed area in Bangladesh.
However, a reverse image search by Rumor Scanner reveals that the photo is sourced from the stock image site Alamy.
According to the Alamy description, the image was uploaded on September 10, 2011, by the Associated Press, and depicts a man from Odissa, India.
Cattle being washed away in "Sylhet" flood
A video circulating on Facebook and TikTok claims to show cattle being swept away by a flood in Sylhet.
However, Rumor Scanner’s investigation reveals that the footage of the flooded cattle is actually from a video posted on July 28, 2020, by the Mexican news outlet Imagen Television on YouTube.
The video, titled “Overflow of the Zacualpan River in Nayarit drags cattle | From Pisa and Run” (translated), reports on the flooding of the Zacualpan River in Nayarit, Mexico.
Fact check completed by cyber expert Raihanul Alam
