As Thailand welcomes the New Year with nationwide celebrations, a widely shared video clip on social media shows people fleeing in panic through the streets. The footage is accompanied by claims that Thais are running from one another due to an earthquake that struck the country on New Year’s Day. However, Fact Crescendo discovers that this claim is false.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM
A 14-second video clip circulating on social media shows people running in panic through the streets. Accompanying claims suggest that a 3.5-magnitude earthquake struck Thailand during the New Year holiday, triggering widespread fear and causing people to flee.
A video posted on Facebook on April 14, 2025, is captioned: “In Thailand, a new earthquake of magnitude 3.5 occurred on 14-04-2025.”
The video clip has garnered over 3 million views and more than 5,000 shares, with many Khmer-speaking Facebook users expressing their belief in its content.
The video clip has been posted and shared on Facebook by multiple social media users over the past few days.
Below is the same video, shared on April 15, 2025, with the caption: “New earthquake in Thailand, magnitude 3.5.”
A video making the same claim was also shared on Instagram three days ago, captioned: “In Thailand, a new earthquake of magnitude 3.5 occurred on April 14, 2025.”
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Instagram Post | Archived Link
Due to its widespread sharing on social media, the video is accessible through additional links here: Link 1 (archived), Link 2 (archived), Link 3 (archived), and Link 4 (archived).
FACT CHECK
Fact Crescendo investigated this claim using a Google Reverse Image Search, uncovering the following facts.
Google Reverse Image Search helped uncover the original video along with details published by media outlets in Thailand.
According to a report by Thai news outlet KHAOSOD ONLINE on April 14, Thai citizens were enjoying water festivities when a sudden altercation among a group of young people erupted, sparking panic and chaos as people fled.
The Thai media report also stated that the incident took place in Area 8, Hat Yai City, Songkhla Province, in southern Thailand on April 13, 2025.
Below is a screenshot from a Thai newspaper reporting on the incident on April 14, 2025. It includes two photos and a video that has been claimed to show a new earthquake in Thailand.
Khaosod’s Report | Archived Link
The Thai newspaper based its report on a video posted on TikTok on April 14, describing the scene in Thai as people playing in the water before fleeing when a group of youths began fighting.
Khaosod’S Report | Archived Link
Another Thai newspaper, Hatyai Focus, reported that local authorities had inspected the area and found no evidence of gunfire, which had initially alarmed residents.
The newspaper quoted Thai police in Songkhla province, who stated that people fled in shock due to a verbal dispute between individuals playing with water cannons.
New Wave of Earthquakes Strikes Thailand
Thai media outlet The Nation reported that a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, causing tremors in parts of Thailand on April 14, 2025.
The same report noted that only Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand experienced a 1.3-magnitude earthquake on the same day, coinciding with Thailand’s Lunar New Year celebrations.
Below is a screenshot from The Nation’s report, showing that Phrao district in Chiang Mai province was affected by a 1.4-magnitude earthquake at 12:04 a.m. on April 14, 2025.
The Nation’s Report | Archived Link
The video of people fleeing took place in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, nearly 1,700 kilometers from Chiang Mai.
The image below highlights Songkhla province in the south, situated 1,687 kilometers from Chiang Mai, which lies in the north along the border with Burma.
Thailand experienced tremors from a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar in late March, resulting in at least 17 deaths and many missing, according to the Bangkok Post’s report on March 30.
A separate report by The Nation stated that the Thai provinces of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai were affected by 12 mild earthquakes originating in Myanmar on April 17, 2025.
The Nation Report | Archived Link
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CONCLUSION
Fact Crescendo concludes that the claim in question is false. The video of people running through the streets during New Year celebrations in Thailand is not related to any earthquake. Instead, the footage captures Thais fleeing after overhearing a verbal dispute between groups of young individuals in District 8 of Songkhla province, located in southern Thailand.
Title:Video of Thais Fleeing Misrepresented as Panic over New Earthquake Wave
Fact Check By: Jay UdomResult: False
