A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28, killing more than 2,700 people and injuring another 4,500 according to recent estimates. At least 440 people are still missing, and authorities are expecting casualty figures to rise. Though the epicenter was in central Myanmar, the powerful quake also rocked neighboring Thailand, and was even felt in several other countries in the region.
In Myanmar and Thailand, the overall scale of destruction is massive. Online, users have been sharing images of the devastation, and of the people affected. While some images are real, there is also a lot of AI-generated content circulating, as well as old images that have been decontextualized, and bizarre theories about what caused the earthquake. DW Fact check looked into some of the more viral claims.
Claim: This TikTok video, which had over 780,000 views at the time of writing, claims to show a skyscraper in Thailand that was badly damaged by the earthquake.
DW Fact check: False.
The video is not real, it's AI-generated. There are many clues that give this away.
First, the damage looks too clean. We do not see any debris on the ground, and although the exterior of the building appears severely damaged, its interior — visible through a gaping hole in the facade — looks strangely intact.
Also, the movement in the video looks artificial: The cars move unrealistically smoothly, and seem to drive right through pedestrians on the street....
NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Wiggin and Dana is pleased to announce the launch of its new False Claims Act (FCA) Defense and Compliance Practice Group, created in response to a s...