Video of Taiwan building damaged in 2018 quake falsely linked to latest jolt
Footage of a building in Taiwan leaning precariously after an earthquake in 2018 circulated in Facebook posts falsely claiming it showed the aftermath of another deadly tremor in April 2024. The Yun Tsui building, in which 14 people died in the 2018 quake, was later demolished.
"There are now four deaths and more than 90 injured from Taiwan earthquake," read a Burmese-language Facebook post that shared the video on April 3, 2024.
The clip, which has more than 600 views, shows aerial footage of a multi-storey building tilted precariously to the side.
The video was shared in similar Facebook posts here, here and here following a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit Taiwan on April 3, 2024.
At least 16 people were killed and more than 1,100 injured in the tremor -- the strongest to hit the island in 25 years, triggering massive landslides and damaging multiple buildings.
Strict building regulations and widespread public disaster awareness appeared to have staved off a major catastrophe for the earthquake-prone island, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.
2018 earthquake
Keyword searches and reverse image searches on Google found the video published in an article from 2018 (archived link).
"Taiwan earthquake leaves tall building on dangerous lean," reads the headline of the report from February 7, 2018 by Britain's Guardian newspaper.
"The Yun Men Tsui Ti block of flats near Taiwan's east coast has been left leaning at a dangerous angle after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday night," it says.
"At least four people were killed and more than 170 remain unaccounted for in the area."
Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in false posts (left) and The Guardian's video (right):
The same footage can be seen from the 1:24 mark of a video published by The Associated Press news agency report on February 7, 2018 (archived link).
The 6.4-magnitude earthquake killed 17 people, including 14 who died in the Yun Tsui building.
The building, which was later demolished and converted into a parking lot, can be seen in Google Street View imagery from May 2017, a year before the quake (archived link).
AFP published a similar photo of the damaged building on February 9, 2018.
AFP has debunked misinformation around to the recent Taiwan earthquake here, here and here.
