A viral video (here, here, and here) circulating on social media shows a flooded street with vehicles halted and a live power line sparking dangerously in the water. The video claims to depict an electric cable down on a Bengaluru street. Let’s investigate the authenticity of this claim.
Claim: A video showing a sparking electric line submerged in floodwater on a road is from Bangalore.
Fact: According to media reports, this incident occurred on 14 October 2024, in Cần Thơ, Vietnam, where heavy rainfall was reported. While Bengaluru experienced its heaviest rainfall in 30 years, the viral video is unrelated to the Bangalore rains. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
To verify the claim, we performed a reverse image search on Google, which led us to a post on the platform X. This post featured the same video with a caption stating, “This is what happened when lightning struck a powerline, causing it to fall into floodwater ⚡️👀📍 Cần Thơ, Vietnam (today, I believe).” This suggests the incident took place in Cần Thơ, Vietnam.
Using keywords from the X handle post, we located a report from Vietnam Plus, published on 16 October 2024 confirming the details of the incident. The report described the video as showing a broken power line falling onto a flooded street in Cần Thơ, Vietnam, accompanied by the same visuals.
Further investigation revealed a detailed report from A Family website. According to the report, on 14 October 2024, heavy rain and flooding in Cần Thơ, Vietnam, led to a high-voltage power line breaking and falling onto a flooded road. This caused continuous sparking, creating a dangerous situation for nearby vehicles and passersby, who attempted to keep clear. The incident disrupted local traffic and caused power outages. The visuals of the incident spread widely on social media, with many urging prompt action from authorities to prevent further accidents.
On the other hand, following days of intense rainfall, Bengaluru experienced its heaviest downpour in three decades (here and here), leading to severe flooding and widespread disruptions across the city. Schools were closed, many residents worked from home, and some buildings collapsed, resulting in tragic fatalities. The incident raised concerns over inadequate urban planning, as flooding occurred even after brief rain spells. However, no such incident as in the viral video was reported from Bengaluru.
To sum up, a sparking electric line in floodwater on a Vietnamese road is being falsely shared as an incident from Bangalore.
