“Last minute. Severe collision between two trains causes excitement in Texas. One was loaded with passengers and the other with fuel,” read an Aug. 10 Facebook post.
In addition, the post features a composite of three photos depicting scenes from the alleged accident in the United States. The information, while continuing to be shared, is incorrect.
Viral Facebook post about alleged train crash on August 10, 2022. Photo: Capture LR/Facebook
The pictures are not current
We performed a reverse image search of the three photos shared using the Yandex tool, so we were able to determine that none of them are current as the virus indicates. On the contrary, two of them belong to an event that happened in 2016 and one in 2021.
Through the search conducted, we have found a video published by ABC-7 on the YouTube platform on February 23, 2021. The clip reports a collision between a train and a trailer in the state of Texas.
While the journalist comments on the details of the incident, the site of the explosion is observed, which is the same as seen in the August 2022 viral broadcast. Below we see a comparison between the 2021 accident (left) and what is said to be current (right).
Comparison between the alleged accident in August 2022 (left) and that reported in Texas in 2021 (right). Photo: Composition LR/Facebook/Youtube
Pictures two and three were taken in 2016. The website News on your side reported on June 28, 2016 that a train derailment caused a major fire in Panhandle, Texas.
The news is accompanied by a gallery of images depicting the incident. Below is photo 2 shared in 2022 with the only difference being the quality. In the image below, we see a comparison between footage from 2016 (left) and the “last minute,” according to the viral publication. The current photo is of lower quality and it can be seen that it is a crop.
Comparison between the images of the current alleged train crash (left) and the 2016 accident (right). Photo: Composite LR/Facebook/Lynn
The third photo appears in a CBC News briefing also published on June 28, 2016. The outlet said three people were missing after the train collision in Panhandle, Texas.
To illustrate the information, CBC News included Image 3 used by the virus in August 2022, but with the following description: “In this photo provided by Billy B. Brown (Associated Press Photographer), two freight trains are after the head – in the event of a collision.”
In the image below we see a comparison between the photo from 2016 (on the right) and the one recently published on the social network Facebook (on the left), the only difference, as in the second image, is the quality of the footage .
Comparison between the image of the current accident (left) and the 2016 accident (right). Photo: Composition LR/Facebook/Brown
On August 10th there was no accident in Texas
We do a keyword search on Google. However, we have not found a reliable record of a train crash on August 10, 2022. According to the American web portal Trains, which specializes in information about trains, there was a derailment in Texas on August 18, 2022.
According to Trains, 17 cars on a BNSF train derailed in Hereford, Texas and no injuries were reported. On the other hand, there are no images that match those published on social networks.
This is a case of clickbait
According to the University of Cambridge, clickbait content is content that aims to incite Internet users to click on a link that will take them to a web page.
In addition, ESIC University explained that the main objective of the clickbait technique is to increase revenue from advertising on web portals by exploiting people’s curiosity: “It will generate so much curiosity that you will not be able to avoid it (click )”.
The viral post on Facebook invites users to click a link that reads “all the shocking images of the crash in blue type,” appealing to people’s desire for more details about the incident.
However, clicking on the link does not lead to any information about the alleged “last-minute” accident. On the contrary, it shows a video that is not available on the Paytube web portal and various references to home remedies for common ailments such as headaches.
Conclusion
The images released on August 10, 2022 do not correspond to a “last minute” accident in Texas, USA. The photos were taken in 2016 and 2021. On the other hand, no accident was recorded on the date indicated in the viral publication.
LR Checker Podcast
Listen to the Verificador de La República podcast, our Sunday selection of fact-checking articles disputing the false content circulating on social media.
*If you want to know if a posting on social media is true or false, you can ask La República to verify the information. Send your request to the contact section or write to us on WhatsApp (+51 997 883 271).