Flooded With Misinformation: Viral Nepal Visuals Debunked 

Old photographs, unrelated footage and an apparently AI-generated video are being shared online as scenes from the devastating 2026 Nepal floods.

The devastating floods in Nepal have killed more than 1,300 people and left thousands missing, with large parts of the country facing widespread destruction. As rescue and relief operations continue, several posts claiming to show children caught in the floods have gone viral on social media.

A fact-check of these posts found that the visuals are misleadingly presented as scenes from the current disaster. One photograph was taken in Vietnam nearly two decades ago, another video contains evidence that raises questions about its purported location, while a third video appears to have been generated or manipulated using artificial intelligence.

Claim 1: Photograph shows children affected by Nepal floods.

On 2 September, an X user, @Chopsyturvey, shared a photograph claiming it showed two young children caught up in the Nepal floods.

The caption read: “Million words are not enough for this photograph from Nepal. A two and a half year old sister being protected by four year old brother. Perhaps, one of the most divine pictures of the century!”

The post had received 145,700 views and 14,000 likes.

Another X user, @BPanIndian, shared the same photograph with the caption: “Four year old kid protecting his two year old sister.” The post had received more than 163,200 views and 21,000 likes. 

However, there is no credible evidence linking the photograph to the current Nepal floods.

A reverse image search led to an earlier X post by Vietnamese photographer Na Son Nguyen, published in 2015. The photograph in that post is the same image being circulated in connection with the Nepal floods.

Nguyen’s profile describes him as a freelance photographer, writer and traveller based in Vietnam.

In the post, Nguyen clarified that the photograph was taken in 2007 in Ha Giang province, Vietnam, and shows two Hmong children. 

A BBC report from 2015 also identified Nguyen as the photographer. According to the report, the photograph had previously been circulated on social media with false claims that it showed Burmese orphans and victims of the Syrian civil war. It was also falsely presented as an image from the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

The photograph, therefore, has no connection to the current Nepal floods.

The photograph was taken in Vietnam in 2007 and has been repeatedly misrepresented online in different contexts, including as an image from Nepal. 

Claim 2: Video shows children stranded by Nepal floods 

Several Indian social media accounts have also shared a video claiming to show children affected by the Nepal floods.

On 3 September, X user @DubeySushm49030 posted the video with the caption: “The children here need a lot of help. Pray for Nepal.”

The video shows a young boy carrying a smaller child on his back. The post had received more than 76,000 views and 10,000 likes.

The same video was also shared by another X account, @choudhary_kera.

A frame-by-frame examination of the video provides a significant clue about its origin. At around the 14-second mark, the children are seen receiving a green-packaged drink.

The post, shared on 3 September, has garnered 34,700 views and 3700 as of 4 September.

A frame-by-frame examination of the video provides a significant clue about its origin. At around the 14-second mark, the children are seen receiving a green-packaged drink.

A closer examination identifies the product as Vinamilk ADM, a Vietnamese nutritional milk product.

The presence of the Vietnamese product raises questions about the claim that the footage was recorded in Nepal. However, the product alone is not sufficient to establish the video’s location.

The footage, therefore, cannot be reliably presented as a video from the current Nepal floods without evidence establishing its original source and location.

There is no credible evidence in the material examined that establishes that the video was recorded during the Nepal floods. The Vietnamese product visible in the footage raises further doubts about the claim, as it is not officially distributed or commonly available in retail stores there, thus making the video misleading.

Claim 3: Elephant rescues children during Nepal floods 

On 31 August, X account @nair_nandu08 shared a video claiming to show an elephant rescuing two children from floodwater and debris in Nepal.

The post described the video as showing an elephant making its way through floodwater to save children during the disaster. The video was widely presented as an emotional example of an animal rescuing children during the floods.

As of 4 September, the post had garnered over 1400 views.

In the comment section, several users empathised with the plight of the victims. One user commented, “ How can we do something for them? Please let us know. I am praying to Baba Pashupatinath to take care of them and give them strength to rebuild their lives 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏”. Another user commented, “It’s heartbreaking to see kids in need. Please, Hindus and Buddhist families adopt these children. There are vultures, jihadis & soul harvesters will run and grab them, it should stop. 

However, a frame-by-frame examination of the footage reveals several visual inconsistencies.

In one section of the video, a man in the background appears to have three hands. While two hands are together in a praying gesture, another appears to be gripping an overhead rope. A separate hand also appears to be floating without a clearly connected body.

Such anatomical inconsistencies are commonly seen in AI-generated or digitally manipulated imagery.

The video was also analysed using Hive AI’s detection tool. The tool estimated a 99.3% probability that the speech was AI-generated and a 36% probability that the video itself was AI-generated.

The video contains multiple visual anomalies consistent with AI-generated imagery, while an AI-detection tool also flagged the footage and there is no credible evidence establishing that it shows a real elephant rescue during the Nepal floods which places it as very likely AI-generated or manipulated.

Our analysis found that three different visuals were misleadingly presented online as scenes from the 2026 Nepal floods.

The first, a photograph of two children, was taken by Vietnamese photographer Na Son Nguyen in Ha Giang province in 2007 and has been repeatedly misrepresented online.

The second, showing a young boy carrying a smaller child, could not be verified as footage from Nepal. The appearance of a Vietnamese product in the video raises further questions about the claim.

The third, showing an elephant allegedly rescuing two children, contains several visual inconsistencies suggestive of AI generation or digital manipulation. An AI-detection tool also flagged the footage, although its result is not conclusive on its own.

The devastating Nepal floods are real. But these viral visuals do not provide reliable evidence of what is happening on the ground.