On Friday, 16 January 2026, a tragic accident occurred in the Sela Pass Lake in Arunachal Pradesh where two tourists from Kerala drowned after the frozen water broke. One tourist has been rescued. Against this backdrop, a video of four people being trapped in a frozen lake went viral on social media, claiming it to be the recent incident in Sela Lake, Arunachal Pradesh.
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However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was misleading. The viral video is old. 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 report published in NDTV on January 6, 2025, that contained an image similar to the viral video.
According to the report, “…Four people, including two women, were stuck in the frozen lake, but all of them were rescued.”
The video had been shared on the official X handle of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on January 5, 2025.
He wrote, “At Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh. My advice to tourists: Walk on the Frozen Lakes with experienced people, drive carefully on slippery snow roads and be aware of snow avalanche. Temperatures is freezing so wear warm clothes and enjoy. Your safety is important.”
Other similar reports can be seen here and here.
This makes it clear that the viral video is old.
Conclusion
From our investigation, we can say that the claim is misleading. The viral video doesn’t show the recent accident in the Sela Pass Lake where two tourists from Kerala lost their lives. The video shows an incident from January 2025 when four people got stuck in the frozen Sela Pass Lake and were rescued later.
Title:Old Video Going Viral As The Recent Accident In Sela Pass Lake In Arunachal Pradesh.
Fact Check By: Debanjana BaishyaResult: Misleading
