Video from Guatemala shared as lightning strike on Hindu temple in Himachal Pradesh

What’s being claimed?

A video compilation showing lightning striking the top of a mountain from various angles has been circulating on social media. The video is accompanied by claims that it depicts lightning hitting a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva in Himachal Pradesh, India, with assertions that such events occur every 12 years.

An X (formerly Twitter) user posted the video with the caption, “There is a temple in Himachal Pradesh where lightning strikes every 12 years. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, where the Shivling gets shattered after lightning strikes. The Pandits then repair the Shivling using a special paste.” The post garnered 546,600 views and 10,000 likes. Another user claimed the footage was from ‘Bijlee Mahadev Kullu, Himachal Pradesh.’ Archived versions of similar posts can be found here and here.

Screenshot of the viral video shared online. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, our investigation revelas that the video is from Guatemala, not Himachal Pradesh, India.

Here are the facts

A reverse image search of a keyframe from the video revealed that American actor Will Smith posted the same video on his official Instagram account on May 6, 2024 (archived here). The post was captioned: “Volcán de Fuego putting on a show!! Guatemala is incredible.”

Additionally, a video showing people recording the lightning strike—seen at 0:01 seconds in the viral video—was shared by Belarusian media outlet Nexta TV on May 4, 2024 (archived here). It was captioned, “Lightning struck the top of the Fuego volcano in #Guatemala.” Volcán de Fuego is an active volcano located near Antigua, Guatemala.

Comparison of viral video and the video by Nexta TV. (Source: X)

CBS News also reported on May 15, 2024, that lightning struck the erupting Fuego volcano in Guatemala. CTV News (archived here) provided similar coverage on its YouTube channel.

The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History reported that the Fuego volcano was active from April 30 to May 7, 2024. It is one of three major stratovolcanoes (a conical volcano with steep sides) in Antigua, Guatemala's former capital.

Moreover, according to the U.S. National Severe Storms Laboratory, it is 'impossible to forecast individual strikes because lightning is so widespread, frequent, and random.' Therefore, the claim that lightning strikes this location every 12 years is also highly improbable.

The verdict

The video of lightning striking an erupting volcano in Guatemala has been falsely claimed to be from Himachal Pradesh, India.