A video showing a massive fire has gone viral on social media, claiming to depict a recent fire at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The accompanying text claims that 40-50 vehicles were gutted, and 15-20 people suffered severe burns in the incident.
The text on the video in Hindi reads: “08/02/2025 महाकुंभ मेले में आज फिर से लगी आग लगभग 40.50 से भी ज्यादा गाड़ी जलकर राख और लगभग 15 20 लोग जल गए”
The above post can be seen here (archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the claim, and found it to be false.
Runing the video keyframes through Google Lens, NewsMobile identified the same footage uploaded on the official Facebook page of ABC News on July 15, 2020 with a caption, confirming that the video is from Egypt.
Searching further, we found multiple credible news reports confirming that the incident took place on July 14, 2020, when a ruptured crude oil pipeline caused a massive blaze on the desert highway in Egypt, injuring at least 17 people. (These reports can be seen here and here.)
Therefore, we can conclusively say that the viral clip showing a massive blaze is from Egypt, NOT Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
