On April 22, a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, resulted in the deaths of 28 civilians. India attributed the attack to Pakistan-based militant groups, prompting a series of retaliatory military actions.
As a part of the retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting alleged terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The operation involved missile strikes on nine locations, including Bahawalpur, Muridke and Muzaffarabad, aiming to dismantle camps of groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. India reported the elimination of approximately 100 militants. In retaliation, Pakistan initiated Operation Bunyan al-Marsus, conducting drone and missile strikes on Indian military installations and cities.
Amid the escalation, a video has gone viral showing a fire in an area which looks like a seaport. The video is shared with a caption claiming that it shows Pakistan attacking the Adani port in Gujarat.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “Current situation of Adani Airport in Gujarat India after attacked by Pakistan. #OperationBunyanulMarsoos
” (Translated from Hindi)
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video shows an explosion at the Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.
On a Google reverse image search, we found the same video uploaded to YouTube on July 8, 2021. At around 43 seconds, we can see the same clip used in the claim. The video is shared with a caption that reads, “Dubai Jebel Ali free zone port blast due to the oil container.”
We further found that the same video was mentioned in a report by The Sun on July 7, 2021. The caption associated with the report stated that an explosion happened at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, which was heard several miles away, with the glass in many buildings close by being shattered due to the impact.
A report on the incident was also published by the website, Port Technology International, on August 22, 2022. The report stated that a Dubai court determined that the 2021 Jebel Ali Port explosion resulted from crew negligence, specifically the improper storage of organic peroxide barrels in direct sunlight for 12 days. Five crew members received suspended one-month prison sentences and were fined 1,00,000 dirhams each. Additionally, five companies involved were fined for their roles in the incident. The explosion caused significant damage, estimated at 24 million dirhams.
Therefore, we conclude that the viral claim is false.
