A picture purporting to show stranded labourers in the Uttarkashi Tunnel has been circulated. It shows an old man wearing a miner’s helmet and appearing helpless.
Verified accounts on twitter, including Surbhi (“@SurrbhiM“) tweeted “Don’t forget 41 workers are trapped in a tunnel and our vishwaguru is enjoying ride in Tejas . #Tejas“. The tweet was made on Nov 27, 2023, which has received an about 2k views on X.
Don't forget 41 workers are trapped in a tunnel and our vishwaguru is enjoying ride in Tejas .#Tejas pic.twitter.com/sEAsaO4KnY
— Surbhi (@SurrbhiM) November 26, 2023
Several other accounts, including Yasmeen Khan. (“@YasmeenKhan_YK“), Zeenat Shabrin (“@ShabrinZeenat“) also made the same claim that the labourers are fighting for their lives. The archive can be read from above.
What is the Actual Truth About this Incident? : Fact
In actuality, this is an unconfirmed old photo and has nothing to do with the Tunnel Collapsed in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. We discovered after conducting research that this picture has been online since at least 2019.
The image was shared in Facebook on May 2, 2019.
D-Intent’s Fact-Checking Results:
1372
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) November 27, 2023
ANALYSIS: Misleading
FACT:An image of an elderly man wearing a miner helmet and looking helpless has been shared claiming to be of stranded laborers in the Uttarkashi #tunnel.The fact is that this is an unverified old image and has nothing to do with #TunnelCollapsed ,(1/2) pic.twitter.com/2RhTvi2wdF
Intent:
Political influencers are circulating old, unverified, and unrelated images with false claims that the stranded labourers and the old man appeared helpless after Tunnel collapsed in Uttarkashi to target the government and create panic.
Conclusion:
Claim : According to a shared image, there are stranded labourers in the Uttarkashi Tunnel. The man is elderly, wearing a miner’s helmet, and appears helpless.
Fact : In actuality, this is an unverified old photo and has nothing to do with the Tunnel Collapsed in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. We found after conducting research that this picture has been available on the internet since at least 2019.
