A photo of wrecked solar panels, one of the multiple images of damage said to be the result of super typhoon Nanmadol, was posted on a Filipino Facebook (FB) page. It is false.
On Sept. 19, the FB page published the post with the caption: “Pray for Japan, ilang maagang pinsala ng Super Typhoon Nanmadol na tumatama sa Japan ngayon (some of the early damage by super typhoon Nanmadol that is currently devastating Japan).”
Nanmadol, which swept across parts of Japan early this week, packed strong winds, caused flooding and landslides, and left severely damaged properties and establishments in its wake. Actual images taken then were included in the FB post, except that of the wrecked solar panels.
The image, originally published by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, was of a July 2018 landslide incident in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, after heavy rain damaged the solar panels.
Each caption accompanying an image included a link allegedly leading to the “full video” of the incident. When clicked, the links open to e-commerce sites.
Japan was ravaged by super typhoon Nanmadol when it hit Sept.18. It is one of the strongest storms to hit the country this year.
FB page Bong bong marcos solid supporters (created on April 20, 2022) published the post, which has garnered over 6.4 million recent views, according to FB.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
