Old Video Of A Gas Pipeline Blast In Egypt Is Going Viral As A Missile Attack By The UAE On Iranian Oil Facilities.

Recently, a video of a massive fire and burning cars went viral on social media. Sharing the video, users claimed that the video shows a recent missile attack by the UAE on Iranian oil facilities. 

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However, upon investigation, we discovered that the claim was false. The viral video is old and not from Iran. 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 the YouTube channel of The Telegraph, where a longer version of the viral video was uploaded on July 16, 2020.

The description of the video read, “A ruptured crude oil pipeline set off a huge fire on a desert road in Egypt, injuring 12 people. 

Flames and clouds of dense, black smoke billowed over the road that stretches from capital Cairo to the city of Ismailia on the Suez Canal.

Egypt’s health ministry said 12 people suffering burns and smoke inhalation were rushed to hospital for treatment and all hospitals near the site were preparing to receive more casualties.

The cause of the pipeline rupture was still under investigation.

Egypt is not a major oil exporter, but crude and petroleum products flow through its Suez Canal daily.

Leaks in petroleum pipelines are common in the country, where infrastructure tends to be accident-prone and dilapidated.”

The same video was uploaded on another YouTube channel on July 15, 2020, according to which the video was from an oil pipeline blast in Egypt. The description of the video read, “A major fire broke out after a leak of oil from the Shuqair-Mostorod pipeline next to a busy highway in a Cairo suburb on Tuesday and 17 people were injured, authorities said.

The pipeline runs along a motorway on the outskirts of the capital and a spark caused by passing cars ignited crude that was leaking from the pipe, the petroleum ministry said.

The pipeline’s valves were immediately closed in the area of the blaze and the flames were brought under control, it added in a statement.

There was no immediate word from authorities on why the pipeline, located some 1.5-meter (5-ft) deep in the ground, had leaked.

A witness at the scene said about two dozen cars were torched, apparently abandoned by motorists. A video posted online showed two residents pulling an injured person away from the highway while thick plumes of smoked billowed skyward.

Petroleum Ministry spokesman Hamdy Abd El Aziz told local TV officials had cordoned off the pipeline and road when the leak had been discovered but motorists had kept driving by which probably sparked the fire.

He did not say when pumping would resume or how much crude had been flowing when the fire broke out. He also refused to say how the underground pipeline could have been damaged, referring to a committee investigating the incident.

The crude pipeline runs from the Red Sea oil port of Shuqair to the called Egyptian Refining Co (ERC) complex of Mostorod in Greater Cairo.

Egypt’s Qalaa Holding, Qatar Petroleum and state-run Egyptian General Petroleum Corp (EGPC) are invested in the refinery business with other partners.”

Other reports can be seen here and here.

This makes it clear that it’s an old video from Egypt.

Conclusion 

From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The viral video doesn’t show a recent missile attack by the UAE on Iranian oil facilities. This is an old video of a gas pipeline blast in Egypt.