Rescue boat capsized in northern Thai floods, not central province
Parts of Thailand have been inundated by months of heavy rain and flooding, but a video claims a capsizing rescue boat in the central province of Ayutthaya was actually filmed more than 300 kilometers away. A relief organization on October 1 shared video taken during an evacuation effort in the northern province of Uttaradit.
“The floods in Ayutthaya are so bad that a rescue boat capsized while trying to help flood victims. May everyone be safe,” read the caption in Burmese of a video shared on November 12, 2025, by a Facebook page sharing news from Thailand for Burmese immigrants living in the country.
Video shows the moment a white boat capsizes after being swept by strong currents against a concrete pole, while its passengers plunge into murky waters.
Screenshot taken on November 20, 2025 of the misleading message with an X marked by AFP
The same video circulated on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, claiming that it was filmed in Ayutthaya province.
The central province, home to an ancient city listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been flooded by heavy rains and several villages along the Chao Phraya River have been completely submerged for almost four months (archived link).
Twenty people died in the floods, and the local disaster prevention and mitigation office said more than 63,000 households were affected, although most remained behind despite the risks (archived link).
However, the video circulating was actually filmed in Uttaradit province, located 370 kilometers (230 miles) north of Ayutthaya.
A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google found a higher quality Facebook Reel shared by a local charity group on October 1, 2025 (archived link).
The Thai-language caption says a rescue boat belonging to the Ruamkatanyu Foundation capsized that day while helping victims evacuate floods in Uttaradit province.
Screenshot comparison of the misleading message video (left) with the local charity group’s video
Several local media outlets reported that the incident occurred in the Ban Kaeng area of Tron district, Uttaradit province, during a rescue mission (archived link).
The scene matches Google Maps Street View images of the Tron District neighborhood (archived link).
Screenshot comparison of the charity group’s video (left) with the Google Street View image with similarities highlighted by AFP
Thai newspaper The Nation reported that Uttaradit experienced the province’s worst flooding in 80 years between late September and early October. Flooding caused by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Bualoi inundated 2,000 households in three districts (archived link).
AFP has already debunked distorted images of natural disasters here and here.
