Old video of ammonia gas leak viral as Rajasthan govt wasting oxygen

The second wave of COVID-19 in India has laid bare a broken healthcare system, unable to cope with oxygen needs and leaving patients gasping for breath. More than 13 people died in merely four hours due to lack of oxygen in Goa Medical College.

A video has been massively shared on social media with the claim that the Congress government in Rajasthan is wasting oxygen amid the shortage. The video show gas leaking from a truck that has toppled over. Facebook page ‘Best Hindi News’ shared the video and alleged that the Rajasthan government requested more oxygen than required from the centre and is now wasting oxygen that it is unable to store.

Twitter user Sunny Jeetu Kushwaha also claimed that the video was shot in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It racked up 1,900 views at the time of writing. (Archive link)

Facebook user Deepak Tiwari wrote, “Look at how oxygen tankers in Jaipur, Rajasthan are being emptied! And people will still abuse Modi.” (Archive link)

The video is viral on Facebook and Twitter. We also received a request to verify the clip on the Alt News official mobile app (Android, iOS).

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Old video of Ammonia gas leak

We performed a keyword search that led us to news reports from July 2020 which said that ammonia gas had leaked in Jaipur’s Shivdaspura. On July 24, 2020, Patrika reported, “Panic spread in the Shivdaspura area following ammonia gas leak from a tanker on Friday evening. The police reached the scene and controlled the leak with the assistance of the fire brigade by spraying water, preventing an even bigger calamity.” The article quoted SHO Indraj Marodia saying that the incident took place under a culvert located near the Radhasoami Satsang Beas. Patrika also shared a video report of the incident on Facebook.

First India News Rajasthan’s YouTube channel shared the video too.

According to a Dainik Bhaskar story from July 2020, the tanker collided with the roof of Prahladpura railway underpasses on Tonk road. The tanker was loaded with ammonia gas and it took a total of 10 fire brigade vehicles to control the leak.

A video of a tanker leaking ammonia gas after an accident in Jaipur last year was falsely shared as the Rajasthan government wasting the oxygen supplied by the centre. Recently, visuals of fake medicines floating in Punjab’s Bhakra canal were circulated with the false claim that the state government is throwing away medicines sent by the centre.