Claim:
A video authentically showed a water tower falling and bursting on a road in Branson, Missouri.
Rating:
In November 2025, a video circulated online that claimed to show a water tower falling and bursting on a road in Branson, Missouri.
The video appeared to come from the Facebook page “Branson Area Breaking News,” where more than 10,000 users reacted to the clip.
(Facebook user Branson Area Breaking News)
Snopes readers also searched our site for more information about the alleged incident.
Some readers seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events. However, it was posted by a Facebook page that calls its content satire. Additionally, the video was fake and showed obvious signs of artificial intelligence such as misshapen people and cars.
The Branson Area Breaking News Facebook page describes itself as “a world renowned satirical news organization.”
Snopes found no reputable outlets reporting on the alleged downing of Branson’s water tower, which would have been newsworthy if true (archived, archived, archived, archived).
Some social media users speculated the video was AI-generated, with one commenting, “Seen lots of water tower takedowns. Never seen one bounce though. Can’t imagine how a tank full of water would bounce. AI?”
Closer inspection of the video did indeed reveal classic signs of AI use. For example, people and cars in the video both appeared misshapen at times.
(Facebook user Branson Area Breaking News)
Another key sign of AI appeared at 0:06, when a pole appeared to bend out of the way of the falling water tower.
This is not the first time Branson Area Breaking News posted about a purported disaster affecting a water tower in the city. According to the page, separate water towers in Branson allegedly burst twice in October 2025 (archived, archived).
Snopes has debunked several other posts from the Branson Area Breaking News Facebook page, including claims that red rain fell in October 2025 and that footage showed a sinkhole swallowing a McDonald’s.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
