As Cyclone Tauktae descended upon Mumbai with exceedingly strong winds and torrential rain, countless individuals took to social media with photos and videos of the storm. Both deaths and property damage have been reported from different parts of the state, and officials remain on high alert. In many parts of Mumbai, streets have become waterlogged and trees have fallen, forcing transportation facilities to be curtailed.
Against this backdrop,videos of the damage and destruction purportedly caused by the storm have also emerged. One video in particular is now making the rounds on WhatsApp, with netizens claiming that the visuals were taken outside the Trident Hotel in south Mumbai.
The short clip appears to have been taken from the side of a building, and shows a portion of the wall or roof falling onto a group of parked cars. In the aftermath of the collapse, one can see that the cars in question appear to have had their roofs crushed in.
Claim: Video showing cars being crushed as portion of a building falls on it was taken in front of Mumbai's Trident Hotel on May 17, 2021 as Cyclone Tauktae whipped through the coastal city.
Facts: This video is from 2020 and was not even taken in India. At the top corner of the video itself, one can see a time stamp that indicates that the footage is from July 2020. Additionally, a quick search online reveals the clip in question had been shared by many on social media platforms at different times over the last year or so. Multiple reports indicate that the incident in question took place amid torrential rain in Saudi Arabia's Medina.
Conclusion: While the video does exist, it has nothing to do with Cyclone Tauktae or Mumbai. There are many horrific videos that have surfaced over the last few days as Cyclone Tauktae made its way up the Indian coastline. This video however is being shared in a misleading manner.
