Video shows storm ripping roof off restaurant in China, not atheist gathering | Fact check
The claim: Video shows a storm ripping the roof off an atheist gathering in Colorado
A June 14 Instagram video shows a canopy being blown off the ground by the wind as several people struggle to hold on to it.
"Freak storm tears off roof of an Atheist Gathering in Benner Co," reads on-screen text.
The post was liked more than 13,000 times in six days.
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Our rating: False
The video was filmed at a restaurant in China, not a gathering of atheists in Colorado.
Video was filmed in China, not Colorado
The video shows a restaurant's canopy being blown away by strong winds on June 11 during a storm that hit the city of Yichang, China, according to The Straits Times. It was first shared on the Chinese video-sharing app Douyin.
The Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County Meteorological Observatory issued an orange rainstorm warning at 9:30 p.m. on June 11, predicting about 2 inches of precipitation, along with thunder and lightning, and mountain torrents, among other things. It also forecast "gusts" or winds.
An orange storm warning is the second-highest level on China's four-tier color-coded weather system.
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The video was later shared on Facebook by NowThis Politics, which said in the caption that a restaurant's canopy was ripped off the ground by strong gusts of wind. People who tried to hold onto the canopy were lifted into the air and one person landed on the restaurant's roof. No deaths were reported.
A longer version of the video was featured in an article published by the Chinese outlet CTWANT, which reported that several people with injuries were taken to the hospital.
Though the video claims the video was filmed in "Benner Co," neither Benner, Colorado, nor Benner County are real locations.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
The claim has also been debunked by Lead Stories.
Our fact-check sources:
Strait Times, June 13, Strong winds in China send restaurant’s canopy and people flying
China National Emergency Broadcasting, June 11, Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, Yichang City, Hubei Province issued an orange rainstorm warning (Google Translate)
The State Council of the People's Republic of China, July 25, 2021, China renews orange alert for rainstorms
NowThis Politics, June 14, Facebook post
CTWANT, June 13, The restaurant in Yichang, Hubei was exposed to strong winds, and everyone worked together to pull the canopy… The wind did not let go, "I was blown into the air and fell to the ground" (Google Translate)
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows wind lifting canopy at Chinese restaurant | Fact check
