Saudi Arabia video falsely linked to rescue incident during Telangana floods

What is the claim?

A video is going viral with the claim that it shows a recent rescue incident from the south-Indian state of Telangana. In the video, people can be seen being rescued with the help of a tractor before being swept away by strong currents of water.

The video has been shared with captions like, "9 people were stranded for hours in Munneru flood. Ignoring all advice, Subhan Khan drove his JCB alone & rescued them." Another similar caption used to post the video read, "Subhan Khan, a JCB driver saves 9 people from drowning in Munneru Vagu in Khammam #TelanganaFloods risking his life." Archived versions of such posts can be seen here, here, here, here, and here. 

On September 1, 2024, the Munneru River in the Khammam District of Telangana was flooded after a gap of 30 years. It affected various areas, including Bokkalagadda, Moti Nagar, Damsalapuram, Danavaigudem, Prakash Nagar, and Kalvoddu, with waters reaching the rooftops. In one incident, a person named Subhan Khan from Haryana drove a bulldozer and rescued 9 people from the Munneru bridge at Prakash Nagar under Khammam District. The video of his daring rescue went viral as news organizations extensively covered the incident. 

Screenshots of some viral social media posts. (Source: Screenshots/X/Modifed by Logically Facts)

However, the video is unrelated to the particular rescue incident involving Subhan Khan or the Telangana floods. 

What are the facts?

Through a reverse image search, we found that the video dates back to April 2024 and is from Saudi Arabia. Gulf News posted the video, as well as other images of the rescue, on April 28, 2024, and wrote, "Amid the dangerous conditions, with torrential waters threatening to sweep them away, Ayed bin Daghash Al Aklabi, aided by two civil defence personnel aboard his bulldozer, navigated through the waters to reach the victims."

In this incident, a Saudi Arabian citizen saved stranded people in the Juaba Valley amid the floods in Bisha province, Asir region of Saudi Arabia. 

Other news organizations from Saudi shared visuals and reported the same. Middle East Business wrote that during the floods at Wadi Al-Juba 4, people were trapped inside a vehicle, and Al-Aklabi drove a tractor and saved them. 

Screenshots of visuals included in the news reports that confirmed that the incident took place in Saudi Arabia. (Source: Screenshots/Gulf News/ Middle East Business/Modified by Logically Facts)

Actual visuals of Subhan Khan rescue

We also compared the visuals from the recent rescue during the floods at Khammam with the viral video and found them to be different. The rescue was done in the evening in low light, whereas the viral video clearly shows a rescue incident conducted during the daytime. Also, there are no clear videos of Khan actively engaged in the actual rescue. We can only see visuals recorded in the night of people cheering after he rescued them. 

The verdict

The viral video is from an unrelated rescue incident in Saudi Arabia in April 2024, in which four people stranded during the Bisha floods in Juaba Valley were rescued. This incident is unrelated to the bulldozer rescue that took place during the recent floods in Khammam District of Telangana.