Viral video of landslide is from Italy, not Himachal Pradesh

Context

As record-breaking rains lashed northwest India in the last few days, everyday life in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh was thrown out of gear, with hundreds of roads being washed away in the downpour. Consequently, Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC), the public transportation provider, had to suspend bus services on multiple routes. 

As the state reeled under the deluge, a video of a landslide is going viral on social media with the claim that it occurred in Himachal Pradesh. In the brief 13-second clip, a huge chunk of land with trees slides down from a narrow path. The audio in the video captures the distressing cries of people witnessing the event. One Twitter user shared the video with the caption: "VIdeo form From #HimachalPradesh. Live landslide in Himachal Pradesh. What a horrible sight." This post had garnered over 74,000 views alone at the time of publishing. Another person labeled it as: "Himachal Pradesh landslide; Pls avoid hills now for a month.."

However, the video is not from Himachal and was taken in May.

In Fact

After conducting a reverse image search, we found that the clip had been on the internet before Himachal was battered by the heavy rainfall in July. The video was uploaded on May 4 on the YouTube channel' Meteoscienza.' The video's description, written in Italian, stated that it depicted a landslide in Bologna, a city situated in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. 

Furthermore, we found that the same video was featured in a report published on May 5 by the Italian news website La 7 Intanto. The report said severe weather conditions affected the Santorno Valley in Emilia-Romagna. The hamlet of Carseggio, a village in the province of Bologna within the Emilia-Romagna region, was cut off following the landslide, the report said.

On Facebook, news outlet HuffPost Italia also shared a longer version of the same video on May 6, confirming that the video depicts a landslide in Fontanelice, a commune in Bologna. The post further attributed the video to one Vito Paticchia, who, according to his Facebook bio, is a researcher and a consultant for public bodies. We also found the same 50-second-long video on Paticchia's Facebook account, uploaded on May 5. 

The region of Emilia-Romagna experienced severe weather conditions in May. The Guardian had reported on May 17 that heavy storms in the region led to severe flooding and landslides, resulting in the loss of nine lives and the evacuation of thousands from their homes.

The Verdict

The viral video depicts a landslide in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. This incident occurred in May and is unrelated to the landslides and flash floods caused by the ongoing rainfall in Himachal Pradesh. Therefore, we are marking the claim as false.