Early monsoon in the North Eastern states has caused severe floods and landslides recently. Since 28 May 2025, various places in Guwahati, Assam has been experiencing recurrent floods and severe waterlogging. Against this backdrop, a video of a rat trying to survive floods on a slipper went viral on social media. Sharing the video, users are claiming that the video shows the recent Guwahati floods.
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However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was false. The viral video is old and unrelated to the recent Guwahati floods. Here’s the fact-check.
Fact Check
We started our investigation by taking screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image search. This led us to a Spanish report published on 29 July 2020. The report contained an image similar to the screenshots from the viral video.
The translation of the report read, “A video of a rat floating in a flip-flop to avoid falling into the water has gone viral on social media. Users have compared the incident to the movie “Titanic,” when the ship is about to sink.
This moment occurred on July 26th, and so far it has more than 60,000 views and many people asking about the animal’s whereabouts.”
We found another report containing an image similar to the screenshots from the viral video on 31 July 2020. According to the report, the video shows a flood situation caused by Hurricane Hanna in the United States and Mexico.
The translation of the report read, “Hurricane Hanna has left behind many powerful images and videos that have gone viral on social media due to the impact they had, such as the collapse of part of the border wall between the United States and Mexico. Others have shown that the damage affected much more than just people, but also the animals who had to fight to survive. Many people saved the lives of several dogs by putting them in a tub and dragging them along the current. In Nuevo León, where the Santa Catarina River overflowed its banks, a neighbour caught a kitten floating adrift on a rubber flip-flop.”
We found the viral video uploaded on an X handle on 27 July 2020.
We found another Spanish report containing the viral video published on 17 January 2020. According to the report, the video is from Tucumán, Argentina.
Another report published in January 2020 stated that the video was from Tucumán, Argentina. However, the report later mentioned that it is unknown in which city the video was filmed.
This makes it clear that the viral video is old and unrelated to the recent Guwahati floods.
Conclusion
From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The viral video showing a rat trying to survive floods on a slipper is not related to the recent Guwahati floods. The video is old. It has been available on the internet since at least January 2020.
Title:Video Of A Rat Trying To Survive Floods On A Slipper Is Not Related To The Recent Guwahati Floods.
Fact Check By: Debanjana BaishyaResult: False
