A video on Facebook (FB) is erroneously claiming that a clip showing divers experiencing an earthquake under the sea was taken during the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that jolted southern Philippines on Dec. 2. This is not true. The video was taken on Nov. 8 in Indonesia.
Published on Dec. 3, the video continues to circulate bearing this headline:
“EARTHQUAKE 7.6 Philippine Viral Videos During Earthquake/CCTV and Private Videos//Pray For Mindanao #lindol #earthquake #EarthquakePH”
At around the 2:35 mark of the 14-minute compilation of unrelated videos of people screaming and running amid tremors, a clip showed a group of divers clinging to the corals of a seabed while an earthquake struck the area.
The short clip bore this text in Bahasa Indonesia: “Gempa Di Dasar Laut M7.2 Laut Banda,” indicating that the incident did not occur in the Philippines but in Banda Sea, a portion of the western South Pacific Ocean, bounded by the southern islands of the Moluccas of Indonesia.
The original video was published by Australian media 10 News First on Nov. 13, showing the underwater tremors when Indonesia’s Banda Sea region was hit by two powerful earthquakes on Nov. 8.
Note: Click the photo to view its original source
The clip circulated after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur province on Dec. 2. A series of earthquakes continues to hit the country, including a magnitude 5.2 tremor hitting another part of Surigao del Sur on Dec. 7.
FB page Solid News PH (created on Aug. 16) published the video compilation, garnering over 1,500 reactions, 80 comments, 600 shares and 67,000 views.
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