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Fact Check
A video showing several vehicles completely submerged is from Sri Lanka and captures the destruction caused by the recent Ditwah cyclone.
The video is not from Sri Lanka. It shows damage caused by Hurricane Melissa in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, on 30 October 2025.
A video showing several vehicles buried in mud is being widely shared on social media as footage from Sri Lanka during Cyclone Ditwah. The video is accompanied by captions and Sinhala voiceovers, and some versions include text such as “Pray for Sri Lanka” overlaid on the video.
The same video has been circulated on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. Such posts can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here.
A reverse image search of key frames from the viral video led to a Facebook post by a page named “Kore Talan Peyan’m TV” published on 2 November 2025, well before the Ditwah cyclone in Sri Lanka, which was captioned: “SOS for the people of Petit-Goâve, the hurricane caused a lot of damage.”
Following this lead, a keyword search revealed multiple news reports confirming that the same visuals show destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, on 30 October 2025. These reports featured key frames found in the viral video and can be seen here, here, here and here.
We also found a CBS News video uploaded on YouTube on 31 October 2025, titled “Haiti digs out from Hurricane Melissa destruction,” which featured the same key frame as its thumbnail, further confirming that the image was from Haiti and not Sri Lanka.
Cyclone Ditwah caused significant damage in Sri Lanka in late November and early December 2025, leading to flooding, landslides, and widespread destruction of vehicles. Several verified videos from Sri Lanka do show vehicles submerged or swept away by floodwaters.
Amid this environment of real and extensive disaster coverage, the unrelated video from Haiti began circulating again, misleading viewers into believing it depicted Sri Lanka’s destruction during Cyclone Ditwah.
The viral video showing vehicles submerged in mud in Sri Lanka during Cyclone Ditwah is misleading. The video is not from Sri Lanka; it actually depicts the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, filmed on 30 October 2025, weeks before Cyclone Ditwah affected Sri Lanka.
FAQs
Q1. Is the viral video of vehicles buried in mud from Sri Lanka?
No. The video is from Petit-Goâve, Haiti, and documents destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa on 30 October 2025.
Q2. Why are people sharing it as footage from Cyclone Ditwah?
Because Sri Lanka experienced severe flooding and landslides during Cyclone Ditwah, many genuine videos of submerged vehicles circulated online, creating an environment where unrelated disaster footage could easily be misattributed.
Q3. Did Cyclone Ditwah cause similar damage in Sri Lanka?
Yes, Cyclone Ditwah caused extensive flooding and landslides. However, the specific video in question is not from Sri Lanka.
Our Sources
Facebook post published on 2 November 2025 by a page named “Kore Talan Peyan’m TV.”
News report published on RTH2000.com on 8 November 2025.
News report published on citizen.co.za on 30 October 2025.
News report published on Social News XYZ on 31 October 2025.
Newsletter for November 2025 published on The Vine Ministry.org.
CBS News video uploaded on YouTube on 31 October 2025.
Misleading
Keerthika Mahalingam
January 6, 2026
Pramodha Weerasekera
December 16, 2025
