Following the tragic incident of a bus carrying Umrah pilgrims colliding with a diesel tanker near Medina — reportedly claiming the lives of several Indian nationals — a video showing a bus engulfed in flames on a bridge is being widely shared on social media. It is being claimed that the footage shows the aftermath of the recent Medina accident.
The above post can be seen here (archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the viral video and found the claim to be misleading.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video revealed that the clip has been online since 2017, long before the recent tragedy.
The earliest version of the video was traced to a report published by the Saudi news outlet Sabq on June 24, 2017. The report featured several photographs and two videos of the same burning vehicle.
According to the article, the incident took place when a fuel tanker overturned, killing its driver on one of the bridges located before the ninth tunnel in Aqaba Shaar, north of Abha, which connects Abha and Mahayil Asir Governorate.
Thus, the video predates the recent bus accident near Medina and is unrelated to the incident involving Indian Umrah pilgrims.
In conclusion, the viral video is old and unrelated to the recent Medina bus accident. It dates back to 2017 and shows a different incident involving a tanker fire near Abha, Saudi Arabia.
