{
  "id": 5739619,
  "title": "Fact Check: No, Giant Shaligram Stone Was Not Found After Nepal Floods",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/fact-check-no-giant-shaligram-stone-was-not-found-after-nepal-floods",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T07:34:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tempo.co English",
    "slug": "tempo-co-english",
    "url": "https://en.tempo.co/read/2119005/fact-check-no-giant-shaligram-stone-was-not-found-after-nepal-floods"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Several Facebook and Instagram posts claim a shaligram stone, an ancient seashell fossil, surfaced after the flash flood in Nepal on August 26, 2026. One post described the black stone, 140 million years old, as Shaligram. However, a fact-check by Tempo reveals this is not true. The object in circulating photos and videos is a statue created by a Nepalese artist to promote tourism in the Kali Gandaki River valley, Jomsom. The statue installation was reported by Nepalese media long before the flash flood. The shaligram statue is not the same as the fossil claimed to have emerged from the flood.",
  "summary": "Fact check - The shaligram stone featured in the content is man-made, not an ancient fossil.",
  "key_points": [
    "No giant Shaligram stone found after Nepal floods",
    "Object in circulating photos is a statue, not fossil",
    "Statue created by Nepalese artist to promote tourism"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}