Horrifying visuals of cyclone Yaas which made its landfall on West Bengal and Odisha has been widely circulating online. Videos of floods, uprooted trees, destructed houses, and tornado over the river Ganga showed what a dangerous calamity the cyclone is. This comes just a few days after the western coast was ravaged by cyclone Tauktae.
However, in a video, a Bengal reporter caught a few people swimming in knee-deep floodwater to apparently ‘save’ other citizens. While the journalist stands and reports the effects of the cyclone Yaas, two others swim when they could have easily stood.
When asked what were they doing, one woman said, “We will swim and help as many people as we can.”
Another man who was swimming beside her said, “We are going to save people and shift them to a safer place.”
But just as the camera shifts focus from them, they get up and walk away!
Have a look at the full video here:
The reporter is standing while others are swimming.
Bengali news media.
Or is it reality TV show?#CycloneYaas pic.twitter.com/rzFNBn93N1— Aparna (@chhuti_is) May 26, 2021
Accusing them of “over-acting”, here’s what people online said:
Where did the swimmers disappear? They drowned? pic.twitter.com/6lJDdKhR10
— Adrija Bose (@adrijabose) May 26, 2021
That green snake starts walking at 0:37 😂 pic.twitter.com/j3xqIWoPhB
— Dr. Kumar Vishwasghat 🏹🚜 (@RoflVishwas_) May 26, 2021
Not all superheroes wear capes. Some swim even in knee-level floods. 😂
— Avik Dutta (@inveteratewritr) May 26, 2021
Wait, did I see that guy walk away in the last frame?! 😂😂😂🤣
— Natasha (@thebokettogirl) May 26, 2021
@freshavisinha @ImRavi27 Level of journalism in this country 🤣🤣🤣🤣
— Vaibhav Shukla (@imvaibhav) May 26, 2021
This is not the first incident where a journalist has over-dramatized a natural calamity. Last year, during cyclone Nisarga, a reporter pretended to get swayed by alleged strong winds, while a woman casually walked behind him!
However, we pray for the people of Odisha and Bengal and hope that they are safe.