The photos surfaced on the same day Typhoon Yagi slammed into Vietnam after leaving two dozen people dead across southern China and the Philippines earlier in the week (archived link).
The storm went on to wreak havoc across Southeast Asia, triggering deadly landslides and widespread river flooding.
The worst-hit Vietnam has seen the death toll rise to 197, while eight have been confirmed dead in northern Thailand — where one district is suffering the most severe floods in 80 years (archived link).
The same set of photos were linked to the impact of Typhoon Yagi across Facebook here, here and here.
But the pictures show the aftermath of a super typhoon that hit the Philippines in 2013.
Super Typhoon Haiyan
A Google reverse image search of the first photo found it was published by Reuters on November 13, 2013 in a photo series titled “Tacloban in ruins” (archived link).
The photo’s caption read: “People stand among debris and ruins of houses destroyed after Super Typhoon Haiyan battered Tacloban city in central Philippines November 10, 2013.”
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo from the false post (left) and the Reuters photo (right):
Super Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the central Philippines on November 8, 2013 and left over 7,000 people dead or missing, while millions across the region lost their homes as the super storm wiped out entire communities (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked false social media posts that linked the photo to a tropical storm that hit Myanmar in 2022.
A reverse image search of the second photo, which shows people walking along a street with debris on both sides, found it was published by the Associated Press on November 10, 2013, also in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan (archived link).
The caption states the photo was taken in the central Philippines’ Tacloban city on November 10, 2013, where residents complained of a shortage of food and water and no electricity after Typhoon Haiyan hit.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo from the false post (left)and the AP photo (right):
AFP has debunked other posts linking old images to Typhoon Yagi here.
