A viral Facebook post has compiled old videos of earthquakes, passing them off as those of a magnitude 8 earthquake that supposedly rocked Taiwan in November. No earthquake of such magnitude was reported in Taiwan recently.
The caption accompanying the videos posted on Nov. 14 by Jerry-Mher De Guzman, a Filipino who describes himself as a digital creator, reads:
Earthquake magnitude 8 sa (in) Taiwan
The post did not state the date the supposed magnitude 8 earthquake happened, but De Guzman said in the comments section it happened the day the post was uploaded.
: Ngayon lang ‘to, sissy (Did this just happen now)?
: Kaninang umaga yata ‘yan (I think it was just this morning).
The east of Taiwan was hit by a magnitude 5.4 earthquake on Nov. 14. Four days after, a magnitude 4.6 quake also struck the country. Local media reported that neither quake caused any injuries or damage.
A Google reverse image search reveals the first video on De Guzman’s post showing mountaineers caught in an earthquake was uploaded on Facebook on Sept. 18, 2022 by the Panita Mountain Association of Hualien County in Taiwan.
The caption, written in Chinese, said the mountaineers were 1,000 meters abo sea level in Zhuoxi Mountain, also in Hualien county, studying ethnic flora and fauna near the forest service’s lookout when the earthquake struck.
The video also appeared on Taiwan Television or TTV News.
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Taiwan that day, including Hualien where a two-story residential building collapsed.
A Google reverse image search of another clip in the compilation, which shows a swinging crane at a construction site during the quake, led to a fact check of Agence France Presse that said the clip was recorded on Sept. 18, 2022 in Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan.
Another clip in the compilation shows a shrimp farm during the supposed quake. A Google reverse image search led to a report of TVBS, a Taiwanese pay television channel, uploaded on Line on Sept. 18, 2022.
The report said the video was taken in Okayama District, a Japanese prefecture, when a 6.4 magnitude quake struck Taiwan that same day.
The Nov. 14 Facebook post had garnered 123,000 reactions, 4,900 comments and 8.8 million views before it has taken down.
Other Facebook accounts and pages, including Indra Lexmana, Teacher Ind and 4j lights and sounds, also uploaded the video compilation with a similar caption on Nov. 19.
Filipinos, many with family members living or working in Taiwan, engaged with the posts and expressed concerns for the safety of their loved ones. According to Taiwan’s office in the Philippines, the country is host to about 150,000 overseas Filipino workers. (LB)