A video showing a youth slip and fall into a river while recording a video, is being shared on WhatsApp with a false claim that a young man drowned while shooting reels at a waterfall.
BOOM found that the original video is from September 2023, when a YouTuber named Akash Sagar lost his footing over a slippery rock and fell in a river, however he did not die, moments later he was seen being pulled out to safety. It is not clear if the video was shot as a prank.
The viral video is being shared following the tragic accident, which claimed the life of Aanvi Kamdar, a 27-year-old chartered accountant and social media influencer from Malad, Mumbai. Kamdar died after falling 300 feet from a hillock while allegedly making a reel near the Kumbhe waterfall in Mangaon, Raigad district, the Indian Express reported on July 18, 2024.
A series of drowning incidents near waterfalls have been reported from Maharashtra in recent weeks as heavy rainfall battered the state.
The video is being shared on Facebook with the caption, "What's wrong with these people..??? One more person drowned just while making 'mad' reels..!!!"
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The viral video is also being shared with the claim that it is a recent incident from Mumbai.
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BOOM also received the viral video on our WhatsApp tipline number (7700906111)
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral video is from September 2023, when a YouTuber slipped and fell into a river but survived. The YouTuber can be seen pulled out to safety after slipping from a rock he was standing on, in the original video. However, it was not clear if the incident was staged.
Taking a hint from the replies to an X post, we found the original video was posted on YouTube on September 26, 2023, by the channel Akash Sagar with the clickbait caption, "Akash sagar last video? - Akash sagar vlogs"
In the video, Sagar can be seen making his way to other large rocks and another youth comes to pull him out of the water.
The YouTuber also posted a shorter version of the video that only shows him falling, on his Instagram handle on September 25, 2023.
Additionally, we can see other sarcastic videos of Sagar posted from the same location. In his other videos, he mentions that he was in Jammu and Kashmir