In wake of the recent earthquake in Turkey, an image of a dog sitting beside a human trapped under the rubble is being widely circulated, attributing the image to the recent earthquake in Turkey. Through this article, let’s fact-check authenticity of the image shared in the post.
Claim: Image of a dog lying next to the arm of a human trapped under the rubble caused by the recent earthquake in Turkey on 06 February 2023.
Fact: The image is available on multiple stock image repositories at least since 2018. However, information about the specific location of this image not known. While it is believed that hundreds of people are still feared to be stuck under the debris, this viral image is not related to the recent earthquake in Turkey. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
More than 11,000 are feared dead and still thousands are believed to be stuck under the rubble, following the earthquake in Turkey. Visuals of people being trapped under the rubble and being rescued have been reported in large numbers by media agencies (here & here). These visuals are also being circulated on social media platforms.
However, the viral image of a dog lying next to someone trapped under the debris is not related to the recent earthquake in Turkey & Syria. Reverse image search of the photo reveals that it is years old and has nothing to do with the recent earthquake in Turkey. Through reverse image search, we came across the same image on multiple stock image repositories (here, here, and here).
The oldest upload is on Alamy, dating back to 18 October 2018. The description associated with the image implies that it is related to an earthquake. However, there is no specific mention of the location of this image.
To sum it up, an old image of a dog lying next to a human trapped under rubble is being shared attributing it to the recent earthquake in Turkey.
