A video of some people stuck in a frozen lake is being circulated on social media platforms with users claiming that it shows recent visuals from Arunachal Pradesh's Sela Lake.
What did the viral post say?: The Facebook user had shared the clip with a caption that said, "Sad news, Deadly At Sela Lake: Three Tourists Fall Through Frozen Lake, One Body Recovered, Another Rescued, One Still Missing..guys do share this video for awareness #viral (sic)."
What are the facts?: The video could be traced back to at least January 2025, when four tourists had reportedly fallen into the Sela Lake. This meant that the viral claim was misleading.
How did we find that out?: A simple Google Lens search on the keyframes of the viral video directed us to a news report published by Deccan Herald.
The report said that four tourists fell into the frozen Sela Lake while they were trying to walk on its icy surface in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang district.
It mentioned that the tourists were safely rescued.
The report further carried a post shared on Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's official X (formerly Twitter) handle.
The post was uploaded on 5 January 2025 with a caption that said, "At Sela Pass in Arunachal Pradesh. My advice to tourists: Walk on the Frozen Lakes with experienced people, drive carefully on slippery snow roads and be aware of snow avalanche. Temperatures is freezing so wear warm clothes and enjoy. Your safety is important."
Other sources: The official YouTube channel of IndiaTodayNE, too, had shared visuals about the incident on 5 January 2025. It was titled, "Arunachal: Tourists trapped while walking on frozen Sela Lake in Tawang."
Recent deaths in Arunachal Pradesh: As per a recent report in Times of India, two tourists from Kerala had drowned after a portion of the frozen Sela Lake located in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh had caved in.
The report said that the bodies have been recovered.
Conclusion: It is evident that the viral video is old and does not show visuals from the recent incident.
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