Fact-checking the ‘saddest picture from Turkey earthquake’. Here’s the truth

A picture of a dog is circulating online after the earthquake in Turkey. Here's the truth behind it

Two earthquakes, less than 12 hours apart, left a trail of death and destruction in Turkey and Syria. The confirmed death toll across the two countries has soared above 4,300 after a series of strong tremors on February 6 - the largest of which measured at a massive 7.8-magnitude. Heartbreaking visuals of the destruction wrought by the earthquake have emerged on social media. These pictures and videos show the scale of damage by the powerful earthquakes – building flattened to the ground, trees uprooted, hundreds dead in the rubble and rescuers searching for survivors.

Among the most poignant was a picture of a dog supposedly trying to rescue his owner from the rubble after the earthquake. The picture was shared multiple times on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, racking up tens of thousands of views.

The picture shows a dog wearing a black collar. A hand is seen emerging from the rubble besides him. On social media, many branded it the “saddest picture” on the internet and claimed it was taken in Izmir, Turkey after the earthquake struck.

Sadest picture on internet today#Turkey #PrayForTurkey #earthquake #Turkiye#Tsunami #Syria pic.twitter.com/dYfdTQI0lb

— Ayesha (@Ayesha99187119) February 7, 2023

In fact, the picture first emerged online in 2018. According to a fact-check by AFP, the image was posted on Alamy, a service that sells stock photographs.

Captioned “Dog looking for injured people in ruins after earthquake,” the photograph was taken on October 18, 2018, according to the Alamy listing. It is not clear where the picture was taken.

In conclusion, the claim that this picture was taken yesterday in Turkey is misleading. The picture is an old stock photograph that was taken in 2018.