Dubai: Authorities have denied rumours about an airplane’s wing catching fire, after a video clip of the incident went viral on social media.
A video that went viral across social networking sites claimed that the wing of a Flydubai aircraft caught fire during a flight to Kuwait.
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Dubai Media Office denied that any airplane was on fire and confirmed that the lights captured on camera was actually the aircraft navigation lights.
“An online video posted on some social media sites claimed that a fire broke out in a Flydubai plane during a trip to Kuwait, but it was just the lights on the plane's wing. Social media sites are kindly requested to verify the accuracy before trading and publishing such information,” said Dubai Media Office late on Saturday night.
فلاي دبي: مقطع الفيديو المتداول على بعض مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي الذي يشير لحريق في جناح طائرة فلاي دبي خلال رحلتها إلى الكويت هو في الحقيقة مجرد اضاءة لجناح الطائرة. يرجى من مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي تحري الدقة قبل تداول ونشر مثل هذه المعلومات.
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 27, 2018
Social networking sites were urged to check the validity of videos before circulating and publishing such types of information.
Authorities in the UAE warned residents not to post false information on social networking sites as the offence can carry a hefty fine ranging from Dh250,000 to Dh1 million, depending on the gravity of the situation.
Offenders who post false news in Kuwait can also be slapped with a hefty fine, according to amended Article 4, Law Number 31/1970.
“[A] Fine of not less than 3,000 Kuwaiti dinars (Dh36,282) and not more than 6,000 dinars (Dh72,564) shall be imposed on anyone who uses print, video or audio media, or any technical means, for publicity, publishing incorrect news about heads of friendly nations in order to harm or demean them, harm Kuwait’s political relations and threaten the supreme interests of the country.
“If the same crime is repeated within five years, the punishment will be imprisonment for a period not exceeding three months and fine of not more than 10,000 dinars (Dh120,940) or one of these penalties.”
