A video (here, here, & here) showing a derailed train off a railway track is being widely shared across social media platforms, claiming that it depicts a recent train accident that occurred on 04 February 2025, in which the Prayagraj Express derailed, resulting in the deaths of 305 passengers and injuries to 680 others. Some users are also claiming that the video shows a recent train accident in Gujarat (here). Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows the Prayagraj Express train accident that occurred on 04 February 2025, in which 305 people were killed and 680 were injured.
Fact: This viral video dates back to July 2024 and shows visuals of the derailment of the 12810 Howrah-Mumbai Mail near Barabamboo station in the Chakradharpur Division, Jharkhand. The Prayagraj Express has not been involved in any accident recently in 2025. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify the authenticity of the viral claim, we conducted a relevant keyword search. However, our search did not yield any credible reports about any such accident. If the Prayagraj Express or any other train had indeed been involved in any such major accident where hundreds of people were killed and injured, it would have been widely reported by the media.
To gather more details about this viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search which led us to a video featuring similar visuals, uploaded on News Nation’s official YouTube channel. The video was posted on 30 July 2024 with the title: “Jharkhand Train Accident: Video of the Train Accident Surfaced | Exclusive | Howrah-Mumbai Mail” (translated from Hindi to English). According to this news report, the video shows visuals of the derailment of the 12810 Howrah-Mumbai Mail near Barabamboo station in the Chakradharpur Division.
To gather more details about this train accident, we conducted a relevant keyword search that led us to multiple news reports (here, here, here) and videos (here, here) published by various media outlets in June 2024 featuring visuals similar to those in the viral video. According to these reports, train number 12810, Howrah-Mumbai Mail, derailed at around 3:45 am on 30 July 2024 near Barabamboo, under the Chakradharpur Division of the South Eastern Railway in Jharkhand. Reports further stated that sources indicated the Howrah-Mumbai Mail may have collided with a carriage of a “partially derailed” goods train that was stationary on a parallel track. According to an ‘Economic Times’ report, Train Manager of South Eastern Railway, Md. Rehan, stated: “Around 3:39 am, the train derailed, and many people were injured in the incident… The accident occurred because a goods train had already derailed on the downline, and the Howrah-CSMT Express was moving at 120 kmph… The upline is affected.”
Upon comparing the viral video with news report videos, it is evident that the viral video shows visuals of a train accident that occurred in Jharkhand on 30 July 2024. A comparison of the viral video with visuals reported by various news channels in July 2024 can be seen below.
To sum up, an old video from July 2024 of a train accident in Jharkhand is being shared as a recent train accident that occurred in February 2025.
