Fact Check: Viral Photo of Coffins Not Related to COVID 19 Deaths in Italy; Here's The Truth

Italy has seen the highest number of casualties since the coronavirus outbreak. Over 4,800 deaths have been reported in the country till now. And in the meanwhile, tonnes of fake news has been spreading about various things. Everything from ways to tackle coronavirus to inflated numbers about those affected, a lot of news is being widely shared. And the latest to be added to the list is the photo of an array of coffins which is said to be from Italy. The photo is being shared widely with the caption, "Stop making a mockery of CORONAVIRUS. CORONAVIRUS is real. See what happened in Italy. All these died in one day". Fact Check: Did Bill Gates Predict and Warn About Corona-Like Virus Pandemic Five Years Ago In 2015's TED Talk Video?

However, the claim going viral with the photo is false. Although the picture is from Italy, it is seven years old and is not related to the coronavirus outbreak. A report by "Al Jazeera" says "Italy announced 793 more deaths on March 21, the second day in a row of the biggest day-to-day increase in the country's four-week epidemic, after surpassing China's death toll on Thursday". A Google reverse image search found out that the coffins of African migrants killed in a shipwreck. Fact Check: Coronavirus Medicine and Treatment Mentioned in Class 12 ‘Jantu Vigyan’ Book? Here’s the Truth Behind the Fake WhatsApp Message Going Viral.

The photo was taken on October 5, 2013, at Lampedusa airport which was widely reported in the media. More than 350 migrants from Africa were on their way to Italy when the incident took place. Some reports also say that the Italian army which was ferrying coffins from Bergamo to different cremation sites as local morgues have not been able to keep up with the rising death toll.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 23, 2020 07:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).