E-Paper
People steal soft drink bottles from overturned truck in viral video: ‘Pure lack of humanity’
The viral video of a crowd stealing soft drink bottles from an overturned vehicle has raised questions about people’s humanity.
A shocking video of people looting soft drink bottles from an overturned truck has sparked massive outrage online. Instead of helping the driver, the clip shows a crowd scrambling for free crates, leaving netizens to question the complete "collapse of civic sense" and humanity in the face of an accident.
“A lorry overturned in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, and people looted cold drink bottles despite the injured driver pleading with them not to. Such incidents are not uncommon in India. What explains this mass behaviour? Such insensitivity, for what? A few hundred rupees?” an X user wrote while sharing the video.
Though it is unclear when or where the video was recorded, the clip is now being reshared across various social media platforms.
The viral footage captures a chaotic scene as a crowd swarms an overturned truck, with soft drink bottles scattered across the road. Instead of offering help, people are seen frantically grabbing as many crates as they can carry before fleeing the crash site. In the video, one of the onlookers is heard shouting “Loot lo, loot lo”, while some others are seen laughing.
(HT.com has not independently verified the video.)
How did social media react?
The video has prompted a varied reactions. An individual commented, "Interesting thought!!! Every one of them has a right to vote. FYI, this is not a rich/poor thing. Not long ago, we saw people stealing yoga mats from public yoga days and stealing flower pots right after they were installed as part of beautifying public spaces. People on foreign vacation, stealing from hotel rooms.”
Another added, “It is not even something of immediate use or of great value. People, ready to sell their morals for a few rupees, are sad.” A third posted, “Not poverty, pure lack of humanity. When mobs form, conscience disappears. An injured man begged for help, and people chose free bottles over a human life. This isn’t a need, it’s a mindset. And until that changes, nothing else will.”
A fourth wrote, “They don’t even care about being recorded doing that. Where does that confidence come from?”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
