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2011 Image Showing Wind Turbine on Fire Edited, Linked to Ahmedabad Plane Crash

This image is from Scotland in 2011 and not related to the recent Ahmedabad plane crash.

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An image showing a plane crashing into a wind turbine has gone viral as visuals from the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on 12 June.

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false as this image is edited.

  • The original one is from Scotland and dates back to 2011. It does not feature a damaged aircraft in it.

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What we found: We ran a Google reverse image search on the image and found a report by The Guardian from 2012.

  • It contained a similar image as the viral one. The report noted, "A wind turbine bursts into flames as storms tear across Scotland. Photograph: Stuart McMahon/Universal News and Sport" (sic.)

  • The report discussed the impact of the fierce winds that hit Scotland on 8 December 2011, which caused significant damage and disruption to the country's energy infrastructure.

  • It spoke about the wind turbine at the Ardrossan wind farm which caught fire and became a defining image of the storm.

  • We compared the two visuals and found similarities.

  • However, the only contention was the absence of the design of the plane in the original.

  • This hinted that the image was edited. We ran the image on Fake News Detector and it noted that it was "computer generated or modified."

  • Additionally, we also found the original image in a report by The Telegraph in 2011 which also noted about the wind turbine catching fire in hurricane-force winds at Ardrossan.

Conclusion: An old image from 2011 showing a wind turbine on fire has gone viral to falsely claim that it shows the plane crash in Ahmedabad. However, this image has been edited further to manipulate users.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

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