Claim that a Chinese helicopter reached the site of a glacier collapse in Nepal is false; video is from Alaska

[Beijingwalker]

Claim that a Chinese helicopter reached the site of a glacier collapse in Nepal is false; video is from Alaska​

Aug 28, 2026

Executive Summary​

A video purportedly showing a glacier breaking apart while being filmed from a helicopter is being shared on social media with the claim that a Chinese helicopter has reached the site where a glacier broke apart, triggering floods in Nepal. A research by the Research Wing of the CyberPeace found that the video is actually from Alaska, USA. It was uploaded on Instagram and YouTube by an American pilot, Leigh Kotes, before the recent floods in Nepal, and is unrelated to the incident.

Claim​

‍

The video is being shared on X with a caption claiming: “A Chinese helicopter reached the glacier region where water released after the glacier broke apart caused massive destruction in Nepal. Such an event is known as a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF).”

Executive Summary​

‍

A video purportedly showing a glacier breaking apart while being filmed from a helicopter is being shared on social media with the claim that a Chinese helicopter has reached the site where a glacier broke apart, triggering floods in Nepal. A research by the Research Wing of the CyberPeace found that the video is actually from Alaska, USA. It was uploaded on Instagram and YouTube by an American pilot, Leigh Kotes, before the recent floods in Nepal, and is unrelated to the incident.

‍

Claim​

‍

The video is being shared on X with a caption claiming: “A Chinese helicopter reached the glacier region where water released after the glacier broke apart caused massive destruction in Nepal. Such an event is known as a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF).”



https://archive.ph/tUIVw

‍

‍

Fact Check​

‍
To verify the viral video claiming that a Chinese helicopter reached the site of the glacier break after the floods in Nepal, we conducted a reverse image search using keyframes from the clip. During the search, we found a video featuring the same visuals uploaded on a YouTube account named “Heli Pilot Leigh” on January 16, 2025. The location mentioned with the video identified it as Alaska, USA.



We also found several videos featuring scenes similar to those in the viral video on Ligh Kotes’ YouTube account. Among them, a nearly two-minute-long video uploaded on January 16, 2025, also contains visuals similar to those seen in the viral clip. Recorded from a helicopter, the video shows Ligh extending her mobile phone outside the helicopter to capture footage of water rushing out at high speed following the breaking of a glacier.

‍
Additionally, our research found that the Columbia Glacier featured in Ligh’s video is located near Valdez, Alaska.

Conclusion​

The evidence gathered during our research makes it clear that the viral video, which is being shared with the claim that a Chinese helicopter reached the site of a glacier collapse following floods in Nepal, is actually from the Columbia Glacier in Alaska, USA. The video was recorded by an American pilot, Ligh Kotes.

 

[Beijingwalker]

Old India disaster footage misrepresented as Nepal-Tibet floods​

Vishesh SINGH / AFP India
Fri, August 28, 2026 at 4:49 PM GMT+8

After deadly floods tore through the Nepal-Tibet border in August 2026, social media posts recirculated unrelated footage from India falsely claiming they showed the calamity. The videos in fact depict flash floods that struck India's northern state of Uttarakhand in August 2025 and 2026.

"The scene of devastation in Nepal is such that every new video that surfaces seems more horrifying than the last one," reads the Hindi-language X post published on August 27, 2026.

The post includes a video of a flash flood gushing through a valley, damaging properties and infrastructure.

Another X post from August 26 shares a clip of raging floodwater, with several vehicles swept away by a torrent of mud.

"Disaster in Nepal, Terrifying footage," it reads.

Screenshots of the false X posts taken on August 28, with red Xs added by AFP
Similar posts spread elsewhere in different languages including Bengali and English on Facebook, Instagram and X.

The videos surfaced after catastrophic flooding and landslides on the Nepal-Tibet border unleashed waves of water and debris that have killed more than 470 people and left upwards of 1,400 missing ( archived link).

The surge of water hit villages and towns on the path of two rivers -- Bhote Koshi and Trishuli in Nepal.

Many of the missing are foreign tourists, including trekkers in the Himalayan nation, as well as scores of Hindu pilgrims to Tibet's sacred snow-capped Mount Kailash.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the disaster was caused by a glacial collapse that triggered a vast flow of icy debris.

Climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, increasing the risks of glacial lake floods and glacial collapses.

But the circulating clips are unrelated and were in fact filmed in India.

Uttarakhand floods​

A reverse image search on Google of the first video using keyframes, followed by keyword searches, surfaced an Instagram video published by the weather platform AccuWeather on August 5, 2025 ( archived link).

"Dharali, India," its caption says -- referring to a village in the Uttarakhand state -- with the footage credited to visual licensing platform Reuters Connect ( archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared footage (L) and video from Reuters Connect shared in August 2025

The falsely shared footage also corresponds to Google Earth Satellite imagery of India's Dharali ( archived link).

Indian officials say at least 70 people were killed after a deadly wall of icy water swept away the Himalayan town and buried it in mud ( archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the Instagram video (L) and Google Earth satellite imagery, with the same elements highlighted by AFP

A separate reverse image search of the second video led to footage from British video news agency Newsflare distributed by AFP on August 10, 2026, with a caption saying it shows flash flooding in Uttarakhand triggered by a sudden downpour ( archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the false video (L) and the same clip as seen on Newsflare's website

Another video from Newsflare also distributed by AFP shows the same scene from another angle.

Indian media organisation NDTV reported that flash floods struck Uttarakhand's Tamak region, India on the day, after a heavy cloudburst sent a destructive mix of water, mud, and debris surging through the Niti valley ( archived link).

AFP has debunked other false claims related to the Nepal floods.

Old India disaster footage misrepresented as Nepal-Tibet floods

After dead ly floods tore through the Nepal-Tibet border in August 2026, social media posts recirculated unrelated footage from India falsely claiming they showed the calamity. The videos in fact depi...

www.yahoo.com

 

[Beijingwalker]

Old, Unrelated Videos Falsely Linked To Nepal Flash Floods | BOOM

BOOM found that the videos are unrelated to the flash flood that hit Nepal on August 26, 2026.

www.boomlive.in

 

[Beijingwalker]

US Ambassador Sergio Gor has made a sharp observation about Indian media, saying:
“I’ll be watching Indian news and I used to think we had a fake news problem back home in America. But some of the things that get reported here are just nowhere close to the mark.”

 

[Beijingwalker]

US Ambassador Sergio Gor has made a sharp observation about Indian media, saying:
“I’ll be watching Indian news and I used to think we had a fake news problem back home in America. But some of the things that get reported here are just nowhere close to the mark.”

He just hit the nail on the head US does make lots of fake news, but nowhere close to India's level.

 

[Raj-Hindustani]

He just hit the nail on the head US does make lots of fake news, but nowhere close to India's level.

If you observed, from the Indian sources only, Reverified and being classified as such claims as false
.

 

[Beijingwalker]

If you observed, from the Indian sources only, Reverified and being classified as such claims as false
.

Even US ambassador to India personally was shocked about how Indian media lies beyond the pale, it shows how serious this problem is.

 

[Raj-Hindustani]

Even US ambassador to India personally was shocked about how Indian media lies beyond the pale, it shows how serious this problem is.

I hope you’ve realised by now how fake media works, even during the Iran–Israel war. The India–Pakistan conflict is another example, and the list can go on.

“Tweety” fans are active almost all around the world, especially in South Asia, where the numbers are huge. Some even pretend to be foreigners and target each other daily to create the impression that the narrative is coming from outsiders.

They all get activated whenever something happens, so don’t be surprised.

There is a reason why I never trust tweets or YouTube videos unless they come from genuinely credible sources. Even when something is reported by well-known media outlets from South Asian countries, especially India and Pakistan, you should still verify the claims and look for solid evidence before believing them.
Otherwise, you can easily become a victim of false or misleading news.