Fake videos are doing rounds on social media showing oxygen tankers arriving in India from Pakistan

A few days back, Pakistan offered medical support to India to tide over the Covid-19 crisis. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 24 even expressed solidarity with India against the “global challenge confronting humanity”. He wished “speedy recovery to all those suffering from the pandemic in our neighbourhood & the world”.

https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1385864226925842433

Soon after, a video of a train carrying tankers started going viral on social media with the claim that it shows oxygen tankers from Pakistan making their way to India.

Several social media users posted the video with the caption, “Oxygen tanker left Pakistan for India after Imran Khan’s announcement.”

https://www.facebook.com/search/videos/?q=oxygen%20tanker%20pakistan

But, actually the viral video is not of oxygen tankers from Pakistan coming to India. It was taken a few days back when the Indian Railways’ Oxygen Express was carrying empty tankers to get them filled with liquid oxygen at Visakhapatnam.

It was found that the video was posted by The Hindustan Times on April 20.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AxqAHjyx5M

According to the video description, the Oxygen Express left for Vizag with 7 empty tankers from Kalamboli Goods Yard in Navi Mumbai. The empty tankers were to be filled with medical oxygen in Vizag and returned to Maharashtra.

The same video was tweeted by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on April 19, saying that seven empty tankers departed from Kalamboli to Vizag to load liquid medical oxygen.

https://twitter.com/PiyushGoyal/status/1384163049678856202

News reports by “The Financial Express” and “Firstpost” also said that the tankers were to be filled with oxygen at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and brought back to Maharashtra, which is facing a shortage of oxygen to treat critical Covid patients.

According to these reports, the ramp was developed overnight by Central Railway Zone, Mumbai division, at Kalamboli to facilitate loading and unloading of the tankers.

With India facing an acute shortage of medical oxygen and other Covid-related supplies, several countries such as Australia, China, Germany, France, UK, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have stepped up to provide relief facilities to India.