Misinformation surge complicates rescue efforts
Nepal is confronting a surge of misinformation on social media even as rescue and relief operations continue after the devastating flash floods that hit the country on August 26. The government has ordered 72 users to remove inappropriate content in recent days as fake and AI-generated visuals spread online, according to reports.
The Nepal Press Council, the country's media regulatory body, has opened a dedicated portal titled "Special Complaints on the Bhotekoshi Incident" to let the public report misinformation and graphic material linked to the disaster, as reported by The Kathmandu Post on Monday. The move comes as families search for missing relatives and authorities work to assess the full scale of the tragedy.
Social media platforms have been flooded with dramatic videos and images claiming to show the destruction caused by the flash floods. While some footage is genuine, fact-checkers have found that several widely shared videos and images were from disasters in other countries, recycled from earlier events, or generated or manipulated using artificial intelligence, the report said.
The spread of misleading content has made an already chaotic information environment more difficult to manage. For some users seeking views and virality, the tragedy has also become a source of profitable content, raising concerns among authorities, journalists and fact-checkers.
Press Council's response and complaints
Nepal Press Council Chairman Umesh Shrestha said 72 social media users, most of them posting through personal accounts, had been instructed to remove inappropriate content. He said the council's portal had received 101 complaints by 5 pm on Saturday, including complaints against 67 personal accounts that had posted gruesome visuals. "Similarly, complaints have been lodged against some online news portals and their social media pages," he said, adding that mainstream media organisations had largely avoided publishing misleading information and excessively graphic visuals. "This is a positive takeaway," Shrestha said.
The government's Social Media Regulation and Management Committee has also begun discussions with social media platforms, according to reports.
Fact-checking efforts reveal fabricated content
Fact-checkers have identified several specific instances of misleading content. One widely shared video claimed to show Home Minister Sudan Gurung inside a tunnel at the disaster site. It was traced to a tunnel rescue operation in Uttarakhand, India, originally posted by Fire Service Uttarakhand Police on August 14.
Another video posted on X on August 27 showing a catastrophic flood drew more than seven million views. It was assessed by Hive Moderation as 2% likely to be AI-generated. A separate video purporting to show a bridge collapsing during the Nepal-Tibet floods was assessed as entirely AI-generated.
Nepal Fact Check debunked a video claiming to show a glacial lake outburst flood in Rasuwa, tracing it to a glacial outburst flood at Columbia Glacier in Alaska, US. Additionally, "before and after" photographs claiming to show a settlement in Rasuwa were found to be fabricated by the Australian Associated Press fact-checking unit.
The disaster and its aftermath
The flash floods on August 26 killed more than 900 people and over 4,245 remain missing, authorities said. The floods are believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border. The Bhotekoshi River carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.
As Nepal continues to grapple with the humanitarian crisis, the battle against misinformation remains a critical front, with authorities and fact-checkers working to ensure that the public has access to accurate information during this difficult time.