Altered Image Shared as Chinook Carrying a JCB to Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi

Team WebQoof found that the image has been altered to mislead the viewers.

Fact-Check | The viral image has been edited to mislead the viewers.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image that shows a Chinook helicopter carrying a JCB excavator is being shared on social media platforms with users linking it to the recent flash floods in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.

• An X (formerly Twitter) account shared the photo with a caption in Hindi that said, "Due to road closures, a JCB machine was airlifted by helicopter to Chinook in Dharali, Uttarakhand."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

(More archives of similar claims can be accessed here, here, and here.)

What is the truth?: The image has been edited to mislead the viewers.

• The first element showing Chinook helicopter dates back to 2020 and is unrelated to the recent floods in Uttarakhand.

• The second element depicting a mountainous region is actually recent and shows the Dharali market area of Uttarkashi district.

How did we find that out?: We isolated the Chinook helicopter's frame and conducted a Google Lens search and found a similar visual published on a website named 'JetPhotos'.

• As per the website, the photo was uploaded on October 2021 and its location was identified as Ghaziabad - Hindon Air Force Station.

The image was taken on October 2021.

(Source: JetPhotos/Screenshot)

Other sources: We found a similar image dating back to October 2020 and was published on a stock image website called 'Getty Images'. You can view the link here.

• A report published in Rediff carried a similar visual, which showed the Chinook helicopter carrying a howitzer during a dress rehearsal for the Indian Air Force Day celebrations at the Hindon airbase.

The report was published on 8 October 2020.

(Source: Rediff/Screenshot)

What about the second element?: Repeating the isolation process for the second frame, we performed a reverse image search and found the same visual published in a report by Mint.

• The photo's caption said that it showed the Dharali market area after the flash floods that was reportedly triggered by a cloudburst.

The report was published on 6 August.

(Source: Mint/Screenshot)

What did the Uttarkashi Police say?: The official X handle of Uttarkashi Police clarified that the viral image is fake and has no relation to the recent rescue operations in the state.

• It was upload on 8 August and its caption said, "The aforementioned picture of a JCB being lifted by a Chinook is being linked by some people to the Harshil, Dharali disaster rescue in Uttarkashi, which is completely false and misleading."

Conclusion: Evidently, two images have been edited and stitched together to mislead the viewers.

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