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Claim: Collapsed towers and quivering buildings were connected to the Canadian earthquake.
Verdict: False. The building structures in the TikTok video are unconnected with any recent Canadian earthquake. Moreover, no credible news outlet has reported any recent earthquakes in Canada.
Full Text
On Tuesday, Apr. 9, 2024, a Tiktok user, disaster788, posted a video clip showing various scenes of buildings collapsing or shaking under tremors.
Along with the post, the TikTok user posted the headline “Earthquake in Canada today.”
As of Friday, Apr. 12, 2024, the post has garnered over 330,000 likes, 9,842 comments, 31,000 bookmarks, and 118,000 shares.
Other users on the platform either doubted the claim’s authenticity or expressed their sympathies.
“Is this (a) true earthquake in Canada, or a movie?” Bence5369 queried.
“I deeply pray for Toronto, Canada. Please, Lord, keep them all safe.” Strong Woman sympathised.
Due to the contradictory opinions in reaction to the post, DUBAWA decided to verify the post
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a Google Reverse Image Search on one of the building towers we identified as the Canadian National Tower–“CN tower” in Toronto, Canada. We thereafter put up a keyword search on an earthquake connected with the CN tower and discovered a YouTube report published by CityNews.
According to the report, published in 2022, security operatives cordoned off the perimeters of the tower and warned people to stay off its premises because the window glasses had fallen off due to a heavy wind at that time.
However, there were no recent earthquake reports on the once-standing tallest building.
DUBAWA also identified a fallen crane in the video clip and ran a Google Reverse Image Search. We came across an Independent news report about a similar crane with the same surroundings as the one in the clip.
According to the report, the fallen crane, which had claimed the life of a worker and injured three others, had fallen into the Fort Lauderdale bridge. The workers were about to increase the crane’s height when a platform from the construction site fell along parts of the crane, crashing down onto the bridge.
We also discovered that one of the collapsed buildings allegedly connected to the Canadian earthquake was one of the buildings demolished by the Chinese government in 2020. This was revealed by the Chinese social media platform Meipian.
According to Meipian, the building was among the properties located in an “illegal construction area.” It was earmarked for demolition by the Lingao Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau, as well as other bureaus of the state.
DUBAWA also discovered that a high-rise building grid is getting submerged under demolition. The TikTok video shows 15 high-rise residential buildings in Kunming, Yunnan, China. They were demolished after seven years of remaining unfinished. This was revealed by China Media Grand Mishmash Network (CMGM).
CMGM reported that the buildings were demolished because the existing units of the three plots of land could no longer meet the “current market demand.” Furthermore, the initial design could not comfort modern people.
DUBAWA also searched for news reports and related information surrounding any recent earthquake in Canada but found none except information released by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on Saturday, Apr. 13, 2024, that Ocean Networks Canada (ONC’s) scientists are predicting an eruption.
According to the news outlet, the scientists made that observation after about 200 small earthquakes per hour occurred in the area (underneath the Pacific Ocean floor far off Vancouver Island). The eruption is predicted to occur between a “few weeks to a few years from now.”
Daily Mail, CTV News Vancouver, and Toronto Star, among others, all reported the recent development.
Conclusion
The claim is false. The video scenes in the TikTok reel are unconnected with the alleged Canadian earthquake, and no credible news outlet reported a recent earthquake in Canada.
