Fact Check: This Realistic Image Of The Saudi Arabia Bus Accident Is AI-Created
The viral image, purported to depict a bus accident in Medina, Saudi Arabia, is likely to be AI-created. The image appears convincing and realistic, and is widely shared by social media users and news agencies, under the impression that it was real.
- By: Rajesh Upadhyay
- Published: Nov 19, 2025 at 04:43 PM
- Updated: Nov 19, 2025 at 04:50 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News). Following the tragic incident of the bus accident in Saudi Arabia in which over 40 Indians died, a photo is being widely shared. This photo was not only shared on various social media platforms, but several other news websites also shared it in their reports on the incident, believing it to be real. The photo shows a bus accident, showing a bus engulfed in flames after a collision between the bus and a tanker.
Vishvas News investigated and found that this image was generated using AI. This seemingly realistic image was created using AI tools, which is why not only ordinary users but also several news websites believed it to be true.
What is viral?
Apart from the tipline of Vishvas News, a user sent this picture to the contact email of Vishvas News and requested to verify its authenticity.
Investigation
When we performed a reverse image search to verify the viral image, we found it in several reports (archived link). All the news websites that used the image reported on the Saudi bus accident.
However, we couldn’t trace the source of this image in any of the reports, making its authenticity questionable. In two separate reports, we found the image with a symbolic reference, and most attributed it to X.
In our investigation, we found an X handle that shared this photo (archived link) without citing a source on November 17. This is a verified profile, where the user identifies as a researcher and has been active on X since April 2023.
Our investigation so far confirms that this image is AI-created. For further verification, we used SynthID, a Google DeepMind tool designed to detect AI-created content.
SynthID’s analysis indicates a strong possibility that this image is AI-generated. The sections highlighted in blue have been created using AI.
How SynthID Detector works
When you upload an image, audio track, video or piece of text created using Google’s AI tools, the portal will scan the media for a SynthID watermark. If a watermark is detected, the portal will highlight specific portions of the content most likely to be watermarked.
For audio, the portal pinpoints specific segments where a SynthID watermark is detected, and for images, it indicates areas where a watermark is most likely.
Several other tools, including Hive Moderation and Decopy AI, also suggest that this image is AI-generated.
According to Hive’s analysis, this image is most likely created using Flux. We also checked this file using the University of Buffalo’s DeepFake-O-Meter, where multiple indicators pointed to a high likelihood of AI manipulation.
The VeraAI detector also confirmed the possibility of AI manipulation in this image.
According to the BBC report, “Forty-five Indian pilgrims have died after a bus caught fire near Medina in Saudi Arabia, the police commissioner of the Indian city of Hyderabad said. VC Sajjanar told a news conference that the bus was carrying 46 passengers. He said one survivor was admitted to the intensive care unit of a local hospital. Most of the victims were from Hyderabad, located in the southern Telangana state.”
According to the report, “The Telangana government said in a statement that the pilgrims were travelling from Mecca to Medina, the holy city of Islam, when the accident occurred.” Fact-check reports on other such AI-created deepfake multimedia can be read in the AI Check section of Vishvas News.
Conclusion: The viral image, purported to depict a bus accident in Medina, Saudi Arabia, is likely to be AI-created. The image appears convincing and realistic, and is widely shared by social media users and news agencies, under the impression that it was real.
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