Fact-Check: Photo Shows Flood-Damaged Bridge in Panchthar, not Sankhuwasabha

A screenshot of news published in Ratopati

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains have resulted in the deaths of at least five people, with many others reported missing in eastern Nepal over the past week. The affected areas include the mountain districts of Taplejung, Panchthar, and Sankhuwasabha, where houses, bridges, and hydroelectric power plants have been swept away by the floods.

In the aftermath of the disaster, digital platforms such as Ratopati and Nepal Live published a photo of a collapsed bridge, claiming it to be the result of the flood in Sankhuwasabha district. Social media users also shared the photo, claiming that it showed a bridge over Hewa Khola in Sankhuwasabha district that was damaged by the floods.

A screenshot of Google Earth showing the Hewa Khola bridge over the river in Panchthar district

On June 18, Ratopati published news about the damage caused by the floods, accompanied by the photo of the bridge swept away. The news, titled “One person killed, 16 missing after floods in Sankhuwasabha,” was datelined Biratnagar. Similarly, Nepal Live also published the same picture, claiming it to be the bridge swept away by the flood in Sankhuwasabha.

Our investigation revealed that the photo was being used to mislead readers regarding the extent of damage caused by the monsoon rains. 

A view of the bridge over Hewa Khola river in Panchthar district on May 25, 2020 Photo: Giriraj Banskota
A view of the remains of the bridge that collapsed following rains in mid-June, 2023 Photo: Giriraj Banskota

Despite conducting a reverse image search, we were unable to find similar photos. Therefore, we reached out to Giriraj Banskota, a reporter based in Phidim, who confirmed that the photo showed a collapsed bridge over the Hewa Khola river in Panchthar. He also provided us with a photo of the bridge prior to the floods. This bridge, located over Hewa Khola, separates Phidim Municipality and Hilihang Rural Municipality in the Panchthar district, and is part of the Mechi Highway connecting Taplejung district with Jhapa.

Therefore, Nepal Check concluded that the photo is misleading, as it does not depict a bridge damaged by floods in Sankhuwasabha district.

ClaimClaimed byNepal Check Verdict
Photo shows a bridge that collapsed after floods in Sankhuwasabha districtDigital platforms and social media usersMisleading
Nepal Check verdict after fact-checking a photo claiming to show a bridge that collapsed after floods in Sankhuwasabha district. 

Deepak Adhikari's avatar

This article is written by

Deepak Adhikari

Deepak Adhikari is the editor of Nepal Check. Over the last two decades, he has worked as a correspondent for international media and national publications in Nepal. His work has appeared in major international publications such as New York Times, The Guardian, Time, Al Jazeera, Nikkei Asia.