Viral Social Media Video of House Fire Misleadingly Claimed as Election Violence Incident

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The presidential election of Sri Lanka has been peaceful so far when we see it in overall view. However some misleading claims being spread stating election violence related incidents happening. Those claims accompanied with misleading videos.

Social Media Posts 

A video circulating on social media shows a house on fire, with claims that the incident is related to violence during the Sri Lankan presidential election, which took place yesterday. As election results are being released, many online users have shared the video, alleging that the fire is the result of election-related violence. 

TikTok | Archived 

Investigation

To verify the authenticity of the video and the claims, we conducted a reverse image search and found that this video is not recent. The footage actually depicts a house fire that occurred several months ago in the Wellawatta area, Sri Lanka. This event was widely reported by several local media outlets at the time, and there were no connections to election-related violence or any political events.

We further cross-referenced the video with news reports from the period, and it matches a house fire that took place in Wellawatta.There was no indication of foul play or any political motives behind the incident.

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Conclusion

The claims circulating on social media that the video depicts violence related to the presidential election are false. The video in question is an old clip from a house fire in Wellawatta, which occurred months ago due to some  issue. We advise the public to refrain from sharing unverified information, especially during sensitive times like elections, and to rely on credible sources for accurate news.

As the election results continue to be released, it is important to stay cautious about misleading claims that can incite unnecessary fear and tension.