Video From Uzbekistan Falsely Viral As Electric Car Explosion In India

A CCTV video capturing an explosion at a fuel station making the rounds on social media with captions that insinuate an electric car had blown off while being charged in India. The chilling viral clip is being used to raise doubts over the safety of electric cars.

Fact Crescendo received the viral image on our WhatsApp Tipline (9049053770) with fact-check requests.

We found that the video in question does not depict a blast in an electric car, nor was it captured in India. 

WHAT’S THE CLAIM?

The video, which has been shared on Facebook and YouTube, shows a man speaking on the phone near a car, which is parked at a fuel station. Suddenly, there is an explosion in the car, resulting in the man being thrown to the ground after being struck by a red object propelled by the blast.

This video is going viral with a claim that the incident happened in India and that an electric car exploded while it was being charged.

The caption reads: “Electric car blows off while charging. Such incidents (accidents) seem to be happening here and there – in India. Whatever it is, it appears that this technology will take some more time to be fully a commercial success”

Original Post – Facebook | Archive

FACT-CHECK 

After performing a reverse image search on key-frames, we found a news report carrying the viral video.

According to Documenting Reality website, the video is actually from Uzbekistan, where a fuel tank of a car exploded while being refuelled at a filling station on 25 February. A 42-year-old man died at the scene.

Further, we found that the incident took place in Samarkand city in Uzbekistan.

The local Department of Emergency Situations shared photos of the blasted car and the broken gas tank (red) along with a statement on its Facebook page. 

It said that a gas cylinder in a 2019 model Chevrolet Nexia- 3 car exploded while being refuelled with compressed gas (methane) at a fuel station in Samarkand.

Original Link – Facebook

According to the local news, a worker employed at the station died on the spot. There was no fire at the scene. 

CONCLUSION

Hence, it is clear that the car seen in the viral video is not an electric car. It was a CNG car. Also, the incident is from Uzbekistan, contrary to the false claim that it is from India.

(If you come across any news, videos, or images that seem too good (or bad) to be true, don’t hesitate to send them our way. Our team of fact-checkers will look into it and then share our findings with you. Together, we can fight the spread of fake news and misinformation. Our WhatsApp number is 9049053770. To stay updated, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.)