Fact Check: AI-Generated Image Falsely Shared as Uttarakhand Bus Accident on 26 June 2025
The claim is false. The viral photograph claiming to show a bus accident in Uttarakhand on 26 June 2025 is not authentic. It has been created using AI tools and does not represent a real event.
Claim :
A photograph going viral on social media shows a bus accident that reportedly occurred in Uttarakhand on 26 June 2025.Fact :
The image is not real. It has been generated using artificial intelligence and does not depict an actual incident.
At least three people have died and nine others are missing after a bus carrying 20 passengers fell into the Alaknanda River in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district. So far, eight people have been rescued.
The bus was reportedly heading uphill towards Badrinath when the driver lost control, causing it to plunge into the river. Police, along with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), quickly reached the spot and began rescue efforts. Local residents also joined in to help.
Some of the passengers managed to jump out before the bus fell and were later taken to nearby hospitals. Senior officials from the police, administration, and disaster response teams are present at the site and are closely monitoring the rescue operation.
Amid this, an image of a bus partially submerged in a river went viral on social media. Users linked this image to the bus accident that occurred in Uttarakhand.
Social media users shared the image with the caption:
"Tragic bus accident in Rudraprayag: Pilgrims' bus falls into Alaknanda River, several dead, many missing. Rescue operations ongoing. Prayers for all."
You can find the claim link here.
Not just social media users, but even prominent news outlets like News18 Assam shared the viral image.
You can find the screenshot below.
Fact Check:
The claim is false. The viral bus accident photo from Uttarakhand is AI-generated.
When we searched for the Uttarakhand bus tragedy, we found many photos and videos. However, the scenes of the incident — such as the background and rescue operations — were very different from the viral picture. In fact, we couldn’t find this particular image among them.
While observing the viral image, we noticed some unusual elements. The background with mountains and trees looks odd and unrealistic. Even the water appears unnatural — the waves and color seem too smooth and artificial.
While examining the image on AI detection tools like Hive Moderation, we found the report said there is a 99.9% probability the image was AI-generated.
When we examined it in Sightengine, the report said there was a 52% chance the image was generated by AI.
So it confirms that the viral image was generated by AI.
Previously, The Quint debunked it and published an article: AI-Generated Image Falsely Viral as Real Visuals of Uttarakhand Bus Accident.
Hence, we found the claim is false. The viral photograph claiming to show a bus accident in Uttarakhand on 26 June 2025 is not authentic. It has been created using AI tools and does not represent a real event.
