A new tragedy struck Kabul when twin blasts rocked the Afghan capital just outside the international airport, which is crawling with huge crowds of Afghans trying to flee the country. The deadly explosions sent shockwaves across the world, as casualties are not limited to just Afghan nationals. Initial reports suggested that at least 13 people, including children have been killed along with several US Marines. The exact number of people died in the blast is yet to be ascertained, but details are continuously coming in.
Amidst this tragedy, social media is abuzz with photos and videos believed to be from Kabul explosion sites. Two explosions, one near Barons Hotel and another near Abbey Gate outside the airport, have resulted in several casualties. Men, women, children are struck with fear, trying to get to safety. Numerous people have suffered injuries, with the roads painted red.
Old, unrelated photos, videos go viral
Mixed with these facts, there are some photos and videos being passed off as from the latest twin blasts. Here are some old photos and videos that are being falsely linked to Kabul explosions from Thursday.
In one photo, an exploded vehicle can be seen and the claim made with is that a "Taliban vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in central Kabul."
Fact: The photo shown below is an old one from an incident that occurred in Kabul on March 14.
Another photo showed a pool of blood with clothes and boots drenched in it.
Fact: A simple reverse image search directed to a Persian source, dating all the way back to 2016.
Another video is making the rounds of the internet shows a massive explosion captured on camera. The video is being shared online, saying it was one of the two blasts that rocked outside Kabul Airport.
Two Blast Near #Kabul_Airport . more than 16 people's died and 30+ people wounded.#Blast21 #Blast #explosion #Afganistan #Taliban #Talibans #KabulAiport #Kabul pic.twitter.com/lBwiguHYm7
— Vaibhav Kaushik - वैभव कौशिक?? #GetVaccinated (@vaibhavkaushiki) August 26, 2021
Fact: Upon investigation, the video is of a military warehouse explosion near Taraz, Kazakhstan, which occurred on Thursday. Due to the proximity of the timing of both explosions, people are being led to believe that the warehouse explosion is that of Kabul airport blast.
BREAKING: Massive explosion rocks military warehouse near Taraz, Kazakhstan pic.twitter.com/n3KBIeTZ0k
— BNO News (@BNONews) August 26, 2021