A widely shared video on social media showed people smashing the windows to a London Underground train.
It was shared with the caption “London vibes.”
Evaluation
The video has been shared with no context. While the poster does not directly make a specific claim, a casual viewer could easily think the video shows vandalism on the tube.
In fact the video shows people smashing windows of a train which was filling with a burning smell so those inside could get out.
The facts
The video was shared to YouTube by an account which merely posted it with the caption “London vibes”.
The video was filmed in London, as is evident by the livery on the train. A report from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) shows that the incident happened in May 2023.
The report includes a screenshot from the social media video which a reverse image search suggests was first uploaded on May 5, 2023.
The RAIB report shows the incident happened at Clapham Common underground station on the Northern Line. Passengers onboard smelled burning and smashed their way out of the train when the doors did not open.
The RAIB report states: “The passengers, believing that they were in danger by remaining on the train, self-evacuated from the train through bodyside windows and inter-car gaps.”
In the video posted to social media it is obvious that passengers are trying to get off the train. The overhead screens also read “Emergency. Please leave the station immediately.”
The screen also showed the time as around 5.46pm.
Links
Post on YouTube (archived page)
RAIB – Rail Accident Report (archived)
Post on X (archived post and video)
