FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show An Explosion At A Power Plant In Pakistan?

Trevor SchakohlJuly 19, 2022

A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows footage of a large fire and explosion at a power plant in Pakistan.

Verdict: False

The video shows a 2021 explosion on the Afghanistan-Iranian border.

Fact Check:

A fire reportedly destroyed a steam turbine at the Guddu Thermal Power Station in Pakistan on July 10, according to The Express Tribune. A preliminary investigation suggested that no fire extinguishers were available when the fire broke out, which took over three hours to subdue, the outlet reported.

A video shared on Facebook claims to show footage from the disaster. It shows a fire burning in the distance that suddenly erupts into an explosion. “Guddu power plant …..” reads the July 16 post’s caption. (RELATED: Viral Image Claims There Were Zero US Casualties In Afghanistan During The Last 18 Months of Donald Trump’s Administration)

The footage predates the fire at the power plant and was not filmed in Pakistan. IndiaTV included the same footage in an article it published in February 2021 that explained the footage shows an explosion on the Afghanistan-Iranian border that destroyed over 100 fuel tankers.

Twitter user @JasonMBrodsky also shared the video on Twitter at the time with a caption that reads, “Video of the massive fuel tanker explosion today on the #Iran–#Afghanistan border.”

Video of the massive fuel tanker explosion today on the #Iran–#Afghanistan border. pic.twitter.com/1iMo4taaF7

— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) February 13, 2021

At least 20 people were injured in the 2021 explosion and part of the power grid in the region was shut down, according to The Associated Press. The subsequent fire from the incident took three days to bring under control, the outlet reported.

This is not the first time a video of an explosion has been misattributed to a power plant incident. Check Your Fact previously corrected a false claim that a different video allegedly showed a power plant exploding in Ukraine after being hit by a Russian airstrike.