An Old Video of Fishes Reeling a Supermarket Falsely Linked to Dubai’s Flood

Last week, the UAE experienced intense rainfall, resulting in flooding across various cities, including Dubai. Following this, a viral rumor spread across social media alleging that numerous live sharks were abandoned in a Dubai supermarket after the floodwaters receded. This claim garnered significant attention, sparking reactions and comments. However, a Google Reverse Image Search debunked the rumor, confirming its falsity.

SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM

SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM

A viral Facebook post recently circulated claiming that numerous live sharks were discovered in a Dubai supermarket following a flood in the city. The post included images of fish scattered on the market floor amidst stocked shelves. It has been shared nearly 200 times in three days, prompting comments from FB users who believed the claim to be true. The post, dated April 21, 2024, asserted: "Dubai City: After the flood receded, many sharks were left in the city's markets."

Facebook Post | Archived Link

The same claim has been circulated on social media platforms by other Facebook users. Please see the post here (archived) or another post here (archived).

FACT CHECK

Fact Crescendo Team began debunking the claim mentioned above by running a Google Reverse Image Search which led us to find out the facts below.

By running the reverse image search, we found the video of fish reeling on the floor of a supermarket which was uploaded on a YouTube channel more than 6 years ago.

The YouTube channel said the incident happened in a Carrefour supermarket in Tbilisi, Georgia, in early 2018 after an aquarium was broken.

Watch the full video below which was uploaded on YouTube on February 03, 2018.

Archived

Because the video was viral at the time, it was also reported by the U.K.-based media outlets. See the full story here (archived) and another one here (archived).

Some social media users uploaded this video on social media platforms with false captions linked to floods in some Asian countries like India. Fact Crescendo already debunked the claim. See the full story here.

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CONCLUSION

The Fact Crescendo Team discovered that the previous assertion is inaccurate. The images depicting fish being reeled in at a supermarket were not taken in Dubai City following a flood. Instead, they were extracted from a video showing a similar incident at a supermarket in Tbilisi, Georgia, in early 2018.