Video of Indonesian bus accident falsely shared as Meghalaya incident

By: Annet Preethi Furtado
May 31 2023

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(Editor's Note: This story was first published on May 31, 2023, and has been republished from Logically Facts' archives in light of this video resurfacing on social media.)

Context

A minute-long video of a bus plunging into a gorge has been viral, with claims suggesting that the incident occurred in Meghalaya due to the bus driver's negligence. In the viral video, amid the panicked cries, the bus plunges into a ditch, and the person recording captures the overturned bus and passengers evacuating. The video has been shared with an identical Hindi caption, which, when translated, reads: ''Meghalaya: The driver went to drink tea, the engine of the bus was on, he forgot to apply the hand brake. And the bus fell into a nearby ditch."

However, it has been verified that the video does not depict an accident in Meghalaya and is of an accident in Indonesia's Central Java province on May 7.

In Fact

Our research could not uncover any credible sources corroborating the reported incident or confirming the involvement of the red bus depicted in the viral video in Meghalaya in May 2023.

A reverse image search on one of the keyframes led us to a news report by the Rakyat Post (TRP), which featured the same images from the viral video and carried the headline, "Bus Plunges Into Ravine After Driver Left It Unattended In Indonesia." The incident reportedly occurred in the Central Java province of Indonesia. While the bus temporarily stopped on what seemed to be a downhill slope, the driver and his assistant, along with 13 other passengers, got out of the vehicle for a break. However, the report said that during this brief break, the bus, carrying 37 passengers, moved downhill and fell into a ditch.

The viral social media post claims that the bus driver forgot to engage the hand brake, resulting in the bus falling into a nearby valley or ditch. However, these claims lack verifiable evidence. The actual cause of the bus accident remains unclear as conflicting claims have emerged. Some reports said that children playing near the handbrake accidentally released it, resulting in the incident. However, according to CNN Indonesia, local police have denied this assertion.

Further research revealed that the video in question was also uploaded to a YouTube channel called "Intervista." In the video's description, brake failure is mentioned as the cause of the accident.

The Verdict

Contrary to initial claims, the video is not from Meghalaya but from Indonesia. The police are conducting further investigation to determine what led to the incident.