Fact Check: Viral Video of Damaged Road is NOT from Agunukolapalessa, but from Indonesia

දිනපතා සත්‍ය කරුණු දැන ගැනීමට අපගේ WhatsApp සමුහයටමෙතනින් එකතුවන්න.

Undeniably, rural and urban roads in certain areas are in poor condition, causing numerous challenges for motorists and pedestrians alike in Sri Lanka. However, it's important to note that there are instances where foreign footage is mistakenly presented as Sri Lankan content on social media. This investigation aims to highlight such occurrences and clarify the authenticity of social media posts related to Sri Lanka.

Social Media Posts

A viral video circulating on social media alleges that the damaged road shown is in Angunakolapelessa, Sri Lanka, posing a risk to lives.

Facebook | Archived

Users commented on it like below.

We decided to do a fact-check.

Fact Check:

Our investigation reveals that the viral video does not depict a road in Angunakolapelessa, Sri Lanka. Instead, it is footage from Tapanuli Selatan, a regency in North Samudra, Indonesia.

We utilized the InVID We Verify tool to analyze the video's origin and found that an Indonesian YouTuber originally uploaded it in May 2023. The video has garnered over 2 million views since then.

The keyframes exactly match that of the viral video attributed to Sri Lanka. Therefore, this misrepresents the actual condition of roads in Angunakolapelessa, Sri Lanka, potentially causing unnecessary concern and panic among the public. Verifying information before sharing it on social media is crucial to prevent the spread of false narratives.

Conclusion:

The viral video claiming to show a damaged road in Angunakolapelessa, Sri Lanka, is false. The footage is from Tapanuli Selatan, Indonesia. Users are urged to exercise caution and verify information before sharing it on social media to prevent disseminating misleading content.