Video of a two-wheeler explosion due to firecrackers is shared as that of an electric scooter explosion - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 15, 2021
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the explosion visuals of a two-wheeler electric motor vehicle. Let’ verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing the explosion visuals of a two-wheeler electric motor vehicle.
Fact: The video shared in the post shows a recent incident of a two-wheeler explosion in Tamil Nadu. This explosion was caused when country firecrackers, being carried by a man and his 7-year-old son, exploded near Kottakuppam in Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu. Villupuram district police officials have confirmed to media that the explosion was caused because of the heat caused by friction. Villupuram SP Shreenatha had dismissed the claim that the accident was caused because it is an electric vehicle. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing carefully, we could see the ‘PTC NEWS’ channel logo on the top-right side of the video. When we searched for this video on the ‘PTC NEWS’ channel official social media platforms, we found the same video published on the ‘PTC NEWS’ official Facebook page on 06 November 2021. This video was published with the description, “Horrific death of father and son brought by firecrackers, huge explosion”. On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video using these keywords, a video with similar visuals was found in an article published by the ‘NDTV’ on 05 November 2021. ‘NDTV’ reported it as the visuals of a two-wheeler explosion in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district on 04 November 2021.
Reporting the complete details of this accident, several Tamil news websites have published articles on 04 November 2021. They can be seen here, here, and here. According to the details reported in these articles, Kalainesan (37) was riding his two-wheeler, taking his son, Pradeesh, and a bag full of country crackers allegedly manufactured by him with the help of his father-in-law at Ariankuppam. When the vehicle reached the boundary between Puducherry and Kottakuppam, the crackers exploded and both father and son duo were killed on the spot.
Speaking to the ‘Indian Express’, Villupuram SP Shreenatha said, “Kalainesan had bought two bags of “Naattu Pattasu” (country crackers) from Puducherry on November 3 and had kept it at his in-laws’ house. On November 4, he took one bag from Koonimedu and was riding towards Puducherry when the accident took place. The crackers might have exploded due to heat caused by friction. The police have seized a gunny bag of country crackers from Koonimedu and have registered a case under different Sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Explosive Act”.
‘The Quint’ had contacted Villupuram SP Shreenatha to get clarification regarding the social media post claiming the two-wheeler involved in this incident was an electric vehicle. SP Shreenatha reportedly dismissed the claim that the accident was caused due to an electric vehicle and said that the firecrackers were the reason for the blast.
To sum it up, video of a two-wheeler explosion caused due to firecrackers is being shared as the explosion of an electric motor vehicle.