Aftermath of recent rainfall in China? No, 2011 Japan tsunami video viral

More than 50 people have died so far as record-breaking rainfall and flooding continue to ravage China. Against this backdrop, a video of vehicles and a helicopter floating in floodwater began circulating online. It has been claimed that the visuals show the Chinese airport. Facebook user ‘Påthankőtiya- PB 35 walá’ posted the video, writing, “This is not a scene from a Hollywood movie, but the state of China’s airport. No one can withstand the wrath of God. May He have mercy on us.” (Archive link)

Facebook page ‘Namo Blogs’ also shared the footage as visuals from China.

The clip is widespread on Twitter and Facebook. It has also made its way to WhatsApp.

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2011 Japan tsunami video

Alt News performed a reverse image search of stills from the video, which led us to a Daily Mail story dated April 30, 2011. The accompanying images resembled scenes from the viral video. The British outlet reported that following the tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011, a newly released video showed cars, minibuses, vans, light aircraft, and helicopters being washed away. These visuals were from Japan’s Sendai Airport. Over 14,000 people were killed in the natural disaster.

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Daily Mail also stated that the video was released by the Japan Coast Guard, a government agency. Several media outlets promoted these visuals, including The Telegraph UK and The Wall Street Journal.

To conclude, a video of the aftermath of 2011 tsunami in Japan has been circulating on social media with the false claim that it depicts the recent floods in China.