False: A video clip circulating online shows people collapsing in the street in India due to COVID-19.

By: Ankita Kulkarni
April 26 2021

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The video in question is related to the Vizag gas leak in 2020. It is not linked to COVID-19.A viral video of people collapsing on the street is circulating on the internet. Social media users have stated that it shows the current situation in India due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country. However, the video is from a gas leak at the LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam. It is a compilation of various pieces of footage shot from the Vizag gas leak in May 2020. Eleven people died and over 350 people were hospitalized as a result of the tragedy. In an original NDTV clip, a woman falling on the street can be viewed at 1:55 minutes in. Some of the images of bodies lying on the ground can be spotted in India Today's report. Various other clips from different sources are seen in the viral video. We can conclude that old videos from the gas leakage in Visakhapatnam have been circulated with false narratives describing it as a COVID-19 situation in India. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.