Claim: Multiple videos circulating online show the final moments of a family that recently drowned in the Swat River. One video shows the family stranded on the river bank. A separate video shows a survivor speaking to a reporter.
Fact: The videos do not depict real-world events. Soch Fact Check’s independent analysis strongly suggests that all videos are AI-generated.
What happened in Swat?
On 27 June, heavy monsoon rains triggered flash floods in the Swat district, causing a sudden and dramatic surge in the Swat River and nearby streams. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) described the flood level as “very high,” as two days of relentless downpours left dozens of people trapped and rescue teams were deployed at key locations.
One of the most devastating incidents occurred near the bypass road, where 19 tourists, belonging to two families from Sialkot and Mardan, had gathered on a rocky area by the riverbank. Eyewitnesses reported that the river swelled rapidly, surrounding the group with little warning, and swept them away before they could escape.
Locals and more than 80 rescue workers searched for survivors, according to rescue official Shah Fahad. A relative of the victims told Reuters TV, “They went to take some selfies. There was not much water at that time. Suddenly, floodwaters came and swept away the children. The water current was so strong that it looked like a dyke had been breached.” Residents said the victims waited more than two hours for official rescue services to arrive. According to a local eyewitness, four people had already been swept away by the time rescue personnel and police arrived at the scene. The current had become so strong that it was difficult even for the rescuers to enter the water, the eyewitness added while speaking to Reuters. In response to the delayed rescue efforts, the provincial government later suspended several administrative and rescue service officials for negligence.
Only four individuals were rescued, while nine bodies were recovered later that day. Among the victims was nine -year-old Anfaal, whose body was found in the Panjkora River, in Barang tehsil of Bajaur district. Locals immediately informed Rescue 1122 Bajaur, and a medical team transported her remains to RHC Barang for legal formalities before returning her body to the grieving family in Malakand.
On Sunday, funeral prayers for nine members of a family who drowned were held in Daska, Sialkot. The bodies, recovered and transported by ambulance, were laid to rest in their ancestral graveyard in the presence of thousands of mourners.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed sorrow over the incident, calling it avoidable with timely rescue efforts. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif linked the incident to glacial melting from heatwaves and emphasised the need for preparedness, directing for a comprehensive prevention mechanism in collaboration with the provinces.
Two days after the tragedy, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur launched an anti-encroachment operation along the Swat River and halted all illegal mining activities, The Nation reported. The operation will later expand to other areas, the report added.
Viral videos
Video 1: This video captures some of the final moments of the family before they drowned. It begins with a man recording himself and saying:
“Hello doston, aaj ka mausam bara acha hai aur darya mein bhi itna paani nahi hai; hum enjoy kar rahay hain.” [Hello friends, the weather is really nice today and the river doesn’t have much water; we’re enjoying ourselves.]
The clip then cuts to the family crossing into the river, accompanied by a voiceover:
“Doston, ab hum uss chauki par jayeinge. Agay ja kar mein tumhe darya dikhata hoon.”
[Friends, now we’re going to that platform. I’ll show you the river as we move ahead.]
Video 2: A family appears stranded on the riverbank as water rises rapidly around them. A man is heard shouting:
“Sirf video bana na reh gaya hai. Hum mar rahay hain yahan. Paani le gaya sab kuch. Koi nahi bacha raha humein.” [All that’s left is to make a video. We’re dying here. The water has taken everything. No one is saving us.]
Video 3: This clip claims to show the family’s final moments with their screams in the background as they are. They are seen being swept away by the river, and their screams can be heard in the background.
Video 4: A young man is records himself ing a video, withwhile a family is picnicking behind him on the bank of near the river. He says:
“Mausam bohat acha hai lekin lagta hai ke baarish honay wali hai. Sab log yahan Swat river par enjoy kar rahay hain.” [The weather is very nice, but it looks like it might rain. Everyone is enjoying themselves here at the Swat River.]
Video 5: A young boy is recordsing with the his trip to the river, with his family in the background near the riverbank. He says:
“Doston, aaj hum poora khaandaan Darya-e-Swat par aaye hain. Nashtay, mauj masti aur tasweeron ka programme hai. Paani bhi kam hai.” [Friends, today our whole family has come to the Swat River. We’ve planned breakfast, fun, and photos. The water level is also low.]
Video 6: This video uses the same voiceover as the fifth video, but shows a different child filming. As he moves the camera, we can see four women, an elderly man, and four children sitting by the riverbank with the river in the background.
Video 7: A reporter stands by the Swat River and asks a passerby: “Hukoomat ne kuch kiya?”
[Did the government do anything?]
The passerby responds, “Haan, tweet kar diya tha ‘stay strong Swat’.” [Yes, they tweeted ‘stay strong, Swat’.]
What he says next is unclear, but he ends with: “Hum tou beh gaye, tweet reh gaya.” [We drowned, but the tweet remained.]
Fact or Fiction?
The original video depicting the final moments of the victims who drowned in the Swat river does not match the videos in the claim. The setting, clothing, and other visual details are visibly different.
In fact, all seven videos displayed obvious signs of AI-generated media. An independent analysis of each video revealed clear anomalies.
Video 1: A common sign of AI-generated videos is airbrushed and glossy skin, which is immediately noticeable on the man recording the clip. The audio also exhibits typical flaws, such as mispronunciations and unclear enunciation of words like baarish [rain].
In the background, a child throws a ball towards a woman, but it distorts and eventually morphs into her. This happens because AI struggles to separate objects from the human body, especially when they overlap with hands or limbs, according to a CanIPhish blog. CanIPhish is an Australian company specialising in security awareness training and phishing simulation software.
Since AI models prioritise faces and bodies, secondary elements like objects are often rendered with less accuracy, leading to warped or melting effects during motion.
Video 2: Despite being in a visibly dangerous and distressful situation, the individuals in the video display confused expressions rather than signs of panic or fear. AI-generated videos often struggle to replicate human expressions accurately, resulting in unnatural behaviours and expressions. Additionally, despite being surrounded by water, their skin appears glossy and overly saturated, which is rather unrealistic as prolonged exposure to water can cause puffiness or discolouration.
A major distortion can be seen in the figure of the woman holding a child: her hands are unnaturally twisted inward and not fully visible. This is a common flaw in AI-generated videos, as current models still struggle to render hands accurately.
Another person on the right is dressed in women’s clothing but has visible facial hair and a beard, which indicates manipulation or AI generation.
Video 3: Soch Fact Check questioned the authenticity of the video as it appears to show a family stranded in the middle of the river. None of the bystanders or rescue personnel approached the family due to the high current in the river. Therefore, it is unlikely the video was recorded from such a vantage point.
The video also features a “Veo” watermark in the bottom right corner. Veo is an AI-powered sports camera and analysis platform that combines hardware with advanced AI software to automatically record, track, and analyse sports games. The presence of this watermark suggests that the tool may have been used to create or edit elements of the video, indicating that it is not genuine.
Video 4: Besides the airbrushed, overly saturated visuals and audio inconsistencies, the video shows a child at the beginning who suddenly morphs into the woman wearing a maroon headscarf. This visual impossibility, where one person seemingly passes through another, is a clear sign of AI-generated content.
Video 5: Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes of the video and found that it was originally shared on TikTok by @ai.wonders001. The post carried a tag that read ‘Creator labelled as AI-generated’, confirming that the video was created using artificial intelligence.
Video 6: This video carried the same audio as the fifth video, indicating that it had been edited or manipulated. There are also clear visual anomalies, particularly in the hand movements of individuals in the background. For example, the young girl in the right corner has a hand that extends and curves in an unnatural manner.
Video 7: This video does not claim to depict the same family swept away by the river. It shows a reporter standing near the Swat River, appearing to question a passerby.
At the beginning, the reporter is empty-handed, but a microphone appears in his hand suddenly when the passerby approaches. As with the previous clips, both the reporter and the passerby display vague and unnatural expressions. Their faces lack the microexpressions and subtle facial movements typical of real humans, especially in a tense or emotional context, suggesting that the video is artificial.
Furthermore, comparing the landscape in the video with an authentic photograph of the area around the Swat river revealed the setting does not align with the actual landscape surrounding the Swat River. Several discrepancies in the background of the viral video, raised further doubts about the video’s authenticity.
While the video shows street vendors near the bridge, the original image clearly reveals that there is no space for anyone to sit or set up stalls. Additionally, the bridge in the image appears to be at a significantly higher level, whereas in the video, it seems much lower. Lastly, the image shows the area dotted with buildings and mountains in the distant background. In contrast, the video only displays trees, further casting doubt on the authenticity of the scene.
Virality
The first video was shared here (archive) on Facebook.
On YouTube, it was shared here.
The second video was shared here (archive) on Facebook.
The third video was shared here (archive) and here (archive) on Facebook.
The fourth video was shared here (archive) on Facebook.
The fifth video was shared here (archive) and here (archive) on Facebook.
The sixth video was shared here (archive) on Facebook.
The seventh video was shared here (archive) on Instagram.
Conclusion: All seven videos in question are not authentic and do not represent the Swat flash floods or its victims factually. Evidence suggests that they are AI-generated.
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Background image in cover photo:
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