A video showing a man being swept away by floodwaters has circulated on social media, incorrectly identified as footage from recent storms in Cambodia. Originally filmed during heavy rains in Karachi, Pakistan, the clip has been misattributed in various posts that emerged following significant rainfall in northwestern Cambodia.
The video, shared with a Thai-language caption on Facebook on September 1, 2025, falsely states that it depicts flooding in Cambodia. The clip shows a flooded road and a person falling into the water, later being swept away by the current. Another post accompanying the video claimed, “After Cambodian people mocked Thailand, the storm went back to them,” implying that Cambodia was suffering from severe flooding and seeking assistance from Thailand.
Despite the online claims, the footage does not depict any incident occurring in Cambodia. The misrepresentation follows heavy rainfall in the region, as reported by The Phnom Penh Post, which indicated that flooding occurred but was not severe. Social media exchanges between users from both countries have escalated into insults and misinformation, even after their governments reached a ceasefire to end ongoing border clashes.
A reverse image search of the video reveals it was originally shared on August 20 on the Instagram account of Dialogue Pakistan, a citizen journalism platform. The caption accurately describes the event, stating, “Tuesday’s heavy rainfall in Karachi led to a man being swept away by rainwater on Shahrah-e-Faisal,” a major road in the city. Reports from AFP on the same day confirmed that over 20 people had died due to the monsoon rains in Pakistan, highlighting the country’s vulnerability to climate change and extreme weather events.
The footage includes a visible billboard for a meal deal from KFC, which the fast-food chain promoted on its official Pakistan Instagram account on August 6. The location details are further corroborated by Google Street View imagery of Shahrah-e-Faisal, taken in April 2021, and drone footage of the area shared on YouTube on August 19, 2025.
This video has a history of being misrepresented, as it was previously claimed to show flooding in Jammu City, India—a claim that was debunked by fact-checking organizations such as Fact Crescendo and Factly. Misinformation continues to spread between Thailand and Cambodia, with AFP also addressing other false claims circulating in the digital landscape regarding these neighboring countries.
The incident illustrates the challenges of verifying information in the age of social media, where footage can quickly be misattributed, leading to misunderstandings and tensions between nations. As the situation continues to evolve, users are reminded to be cautious of the sources of the content they share online.
