Fact check: Video of dark, low-hanging clouds filmed prior to Ohio train derailment
The claim: Video shows skies after Ohio train derailment
A Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows dark and expansive clouds hanging low over a residential neighborhood.
"It is said that this is the actual video taken after the train carrying toxic chemicals in Ohio was exploded," reads the caption in the Feb. 14 video, which was first shared on TikTok.
The video was shared more than 200 times in a week.
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Our rating: False
The video is unrelated to the Ohio derailment. It was uploaded to TikTok months before the incident.
Video predates Ohio train disaster
A train carrying tankers filled with hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, resulting in fire, evacuations and concerns about dangers to wildlife and local residents. However, the video in the post is not related to that incident.
The video has existed online since at least November 2022, when it was uploaded to TikTok and captioned, "That one time stranger things clouds rolled in Oregon." It was uploaded again by the same user in January 2023 and captioned, "#portlandoregon."
Ohio train derailment fact check: What's true and what's false?
Paste BN reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment.
The claim was also debunked by Reuters.
Our fact-check sources:
- Princess_cisneros, Nov. 13, 2022, TikTok
- Princess_cisneros, Jan. 27, TikTok
- Reuters, Feb. 17, Fact Check-Video showing thick dark clouds predates February 2023 train derailment in Ohio
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