DAVAO CITY (30 July 2025) – A video posted by 94.9 MHz Lucky Radio Bayugan showing massive tsunami waves hitting a beachfront area has gone viral on Facebook with numerous concerned citizens sharing the post.
The video, captioned “NAGHAGUROS NGA TSUNAMI, MIIGO SA USA KA ISLA SA PASIPIKO” (“Raging tsunami hits an island in the Pacific”), was uploaded around noon today, July 30, and has since gained over 762k views, 3.9k reactions, and 9.6k shares as of 6:30 PM.
The video is fake and has no connection to any recent tsunami activity in the Philippines.
It spread rapidly across Facebook, especially amid growing public anxiety following the issuance of tsunami alerts for several Pacific-facing provinces in the country.
However, the clip used by the station is not from the Philippines, and not from 2025.
The footage was originally uploaded eight years ago on YouTube by the Sun Newspapers with the title “Durban beach closed due to high waves DRAMATIC AERIAL VIDEO.”
It features strong wave surges battering the coast of Durban Beach in South Africa, and was taken during a period of severe ocean swells that prompted local authorities to close beaches as a precaution.
Durban lies on the eastern coast of Africa along the Indian Ocean, and is geographically and tectonically unrelated to the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Therefore, the claim in the caption that a tsunami hit an island in the Pacific is not only inaccurate in time and place, but also geographically false.
Earlier today around 9:30 AM, July 30, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued a tsunami information advisory following a magnitude 8.7 earthquake off the coast of Kamchatka, Russia.
The advisory warned of possible minor sea-level changes (less than one meter) in coastal provinces facing the Pacific Ocean, including several areas in Mindanao such as the Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao de Oro.
These changes were described as non-destructive and expected between the timeframes of 1:20 PM and 2:40 PM.
However, around 4:40 PM, PHIVOLCS released its notice of cancellation for the tsunami advisory that they earlier issued.
As of this writing, no official agency in the Philippines has reported any coastal damage, casualties, or infrastructure impact as a result of the Kamchatka quake as well.
To verify the clip, MindaNews conducted a reverse image search and used the InVID forensic tool for video verification.
The analysis confirmed that the footage originated in Durban, South Africa, and was first uploaded on YouTube in 2017.
Landmarks such as the beachfront promenade, wave barriers, and surrounding infrastructure further confirm that the location is not in the Pacific, and certainly not in the Philippines.
This video has been recycled multiple times in recent years, often resurfacing during disasters or tsunami warnings to provoke alarm.
In this case, the false caption used by Lucky Radio Bayugan only added to the confusion and fear among residents in the country, especially in coastal communities that were still monitoring official bulletins.
Posting such content during an ongoing alert is also irresponsible and contributes to disinformation.
As with all our other reports, MindaNews welcomes fact check leads or suggestions from the public.
MindaNews is a verified signatory to the Code of Principles of the International Fact-Checking Network. (Allizah Keziah Manulat / MindaNews)
