Following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake off the southern Philippines on June 8, social media users circulated videos claiming to show the quake’s aftermath. However, investigations revealed these videos were actually filmed in Thailand and Japan months and years prior.
The first video, depicting debris falling from a skybridge, was shot in Bangkok during an earthquake in March 2025 that affected Myanmar and Thailand. The second video, showing large waves, was captured off Japan’s Miyazaki coast during Typhoon Jangmi in June 2026.
These misleading posts appeared across various platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram, Weibo, and Douyin, with captions falsely linking them to the Philippine event. Reverse image searches confirmed the videos' origins predating the June 8 quake, exposing the misinformation.
The incident underscores how outdated footage is often reused to distort the reality of natural disasters, emphasizing the importance of verifying content before sharing. The actual Philippine earthquake resulted in at least 68 deaths, widespread building collapses, landslides, and tsunami warnings across the region.
Experts and fact-checkers continue to warn against the spread of false information, which can mislead the public and tarnish the credibility of real disaster responses.
Following a 7.8-magnitude earthquake off the southern Philippines on June 8, social media users circulated videos claiming to show the quake’s aftermath. However, investigations revealed these videos were actually filmed in Thailand and Japan months and years prior.
The first video, depicting debris falling from a skybridge, was shot in Bangkok during an earthquake in March 2025 that affected Myanmar and Thailand. The second video, showing large waves, was captured off Japan’s Miyazaki coast during Typhoon Jangmi in June 2026.
These misleading posts appeared across various platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram, Weibo, and Douyin, with captions falsely linking them to the Philippine event. Reverse image searches confirmed the videos' origins predating the June 8 quake, exposing the misinformation.
The incident underscores how outdated footage is often reused to distort the reality of natural disasters, emphasizing the importance of verifying content before sharing. The actual Philippine earthquake resulted in at least 68 deaths, widespread building collapses, landslides, and tsunami warnings across the region.
Experts and fact-checkers continue to warn against the spread of false information, which can mislead the public and tarnish the credibility of real disaster responses.