Fact Check: Video of Hanumangarh Factory Fire Falsely Shared as Udhampur Airbase Attack by Pakistan

Security forces remained on high alert even as no firing along the Line Of Control and no late night drone activity was reported in Srinagar, hours after Pakistan violated a ceasefire that was to come into effect from 5 pm on 10th May.

As stated by NDTV, Tensions showed no signs of abatement since the April 22 Pahalgam attack and May 8 Operation Sindoor, explosions were heard and drones were spotted in Srinagar a few hours after both nations agreed to a ceasefire on land, sea and air. Two Indian Armed forces personnel were killed in the past 24 hours amid intensified shelling and drone attacks by Pakistani forces across the Jammu region.

The government said it would treat any future act of terror as an act of war, top sources said, laying out the definition of such an act. Among the instances that would constitute an act of terror would include an act carried out with the intention to threaten the unity, integrity, and security of the nation, intimidate the public, or disturb the public order, according to Indian law.

Meanwhile, a video is going viral on social media showing a massive fire at location. About a minute into the footage, two fire brigade vehicles are seen entering the area. The video is being widely circulated as recent footage of the alleged Pakistani attack on the Udhampur Airbase

A screenshot of the claim is provided below.

Fact Check:

The claim is false. The video is actually from Rajasthan and shows a fire at a chemical factory in Hanumangarh. It is not related to the India-Pakistan situation.

We investigated the claim of a Pakistani attack on the Udhampur Airbase but found no evidence to support it. If such an incident had occurred, it would have been reported by mainstream media.

When we took the key frame from the viral video using reverse image search, we found a video uploaded on Facebook.

A Jaipur-based reporter, Gourav Sharma, shared the video with the caption: “Recently, a massive fire broke out in a factory in the Nohar area of Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. The fire caused black smoke to fill the sky, and a loss of crores of rupees is feared. After the incident, several fire engines reached the spot, and efforts were made to extinguish the flames. However, it took time to bring the fire under control, and most of the goods stored in the factory were burnt to ashes."

As the viral video appeared to be the same as one posted on Facebook, we compared the two and found that both the photograph and the video are from the same incident.

We searched using relevant keywords and found that several media outlets published the same story with the same information.

This proves that the video is of a fire incident in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, and is not related to the India-Pakistan situation.

Dainik Bhaskar published an article on this incident and stated: A massive fire suddenly broke out in a factory located in the industrial area of Hanumangarh Junction. The fire was so intense that flames and black smoke were visible from several kilometers away. Fire engines rushed to the scene to extinguish the blaze. Two people were badly burned in the incident. It is reported that the factory belongs to Shivratan Khadgawat, the brother of industrialist Shivshankar Khadgawat. A tyre factory and a car service center are also located near the factory, which further increased the level of danger. Due to the magnitude of the fire, chaos spread throughout the area.

Hence, we found the claim to be false. The viral video is from a factory fire in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, and has been falsely shared as footage of a Pakistani attack on the Udhampur Airbase.