Viral video shows March 2022 fire at ammunition shed near Sialkot Garrison, not AJK’s Leepa Valley

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is misleading.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search to find the original video.

Posts from Indian users on multiple social media platforms since April 27, 2025, shared a video of massive explosions, claiming it was from a military ammunition depot in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Leepa Valley.

An attack took place in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in India-occupied Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors every summer, on April 22. Gunmen opened fire on visitors, killing at least 26 people — all men from across India except one from Nepal — and injuring 17 others. It was the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000. A hitherto unknown group, named by several Indian outlets as ‘The Resistance Front’, is said to have claimed responsibility for the attack.

India followed suit by announcing a series of actions against Pakistan. Responding in kind, Pakistan’s top brass also announced a series of measures, including the closure of its airspace to all India-owned or Indian-operated airlines with immediate effect.

As diplomatic channels dry up and treaty frameworks teeter, analysts warn that relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours may be approaching a dangerous tipping point, with limited space remaining for de-escalation.

HOW IT STARTED

The iVerify Pakistan team was alerted on April 28 about an X post and requested authentication for the content.

On April 27, an Indian X user shared a video of massive explosions taking place at a location.

The caption of the post said: “Massive explosions in Leepa Valley military ammunition depot. Pakistan’s local media is silent which explains a lot.”

The post was viewed over 400,000 times and re-shared by 1,600 users.

The same claim was shared here and here, racking up 373,000 views and 108,000 views respectively.

It was also shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality, to satisfy the public’s request seeking authentication for the claim and keen public interest in the events unfolding between India and Pakistan in the wake of the recent Pahalgam attack.

A keyword search to corroborate the alleged development yielded no news stories regarding an explosion at a military ammunition depot in Leepa Valley.

A reverse image search yielded news stories from Pakistan Today and Independent Urdu about a fire in Sialkot Garrison dated March 20, 2022.

A keyword search also yielded further reports from leading English news outlets Dawn and Geo News, and state broadcaster Radio Pakistan on the incident.

As per the details, the military’s media wing had said that an accidental fire had broken out in an ammunition shed near Sialkot Garrison. There was no loss of life and the resulting fire was extinguished with the damage contained.

The same viral video was also featured in a news bulletin by Samaa News on the Sialkot incident.

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FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING

The claim about a viral video showing massive explosions at a military ammunition depot in AJK’s Leepa Valley is misleading.

It actually shows a fire at an ammunition shed near Sialkot Garrison in March 2022.