A video showing two individuals, allegedly a father and child, suddenly falling into a deep, waterlogged pothole in the middle of a road is being widely circulated on social media. It is claimed that the incident is from India. In the viral clip, a water-covered section of the road is visible. As the motorcycle riders attempt to pass through, they abruptly vanish into a concealed pothole so deep that both the bike and its riders disappear within seconds. Onlookers are then seen rushing to the scene to rescue and pull them out.
The post has been shared with a sarcastic caption targeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari: “What’s the use of collecting so much tax from citizens? Now we get free swimming and thrill rides along with our hospital bills. Thanks to Nitin Gadkari for providing roads that are ‘better than American standards’.”
Similar posts can be seen here, here and here. (Archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim and found it to be False.
Running the extracted video keyframes through Reverse Image Search, the NM team detected a Sri Lanka-based YouTube channel, Lanka Deepa, carrying the same video on September 19, 2023, with a title: “Father and daughter fall into a hole caused by a burst water pipe.”
Digging deeper, we found the same incident covered by several Sri Lankan media outlets, including Ravana Lanka News, Sri Lanka Mirror, and Daily Mirror, dated September 19, 2023. According to these reports, a man and his daughter were riding a motorbike on their way to the daughter’s school when they fell into a water-filled pit near the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) office in Gothatuwa, Sri Lanka. The 16-feet-deep hole had filled with water due to a pipeline burst. Fortunately, the father was able to rescue his daughter with the help of nearby passersby.
Hence, we can conclude by saying that the viral video showing the waterlogged pothole is NOT from India BUT Sri Lanka.
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