Authors
Shaminder started off his career as a freelance journalist for a consulting and research firm. He has been a Political Strategist and Media Manager. Before joining Newschecker, he worked with various reputed media agencies like Daily Post India, PTC News.
The largest coronavirus lockdown in the world is happening right now in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the country’s 1.3 billion people to stay at home for 21 days to tackle the deadly novel coronavirus. However, with the surge of cases of COVID-19 globally, there has been a rise in misinformation too.
A video is being widely shared on social media claiming that this is a scene outside a hospital in Iran. In the viral video, one can see the dead bodies being taken away in a convoy of cars.
The viral video text reads, “This is a scene outside a hospital in Iran. Please convey this to everyone who cannot stay at home during this Pandemic”.
We found that several users shared the viral video on Facebook and Twitter. Several readers sent the viral video to Newschecker’s WhatsApp helpline number for verification.
Fact Check
As we began fact-checking the claim, we found that none of the people seen in the video were wearing protective masks, and neither any of them was following social distancing.
With the help of ‘InVid,’ we got multiple keyframes of the video. By using a reverse-image search on one of the keyframes, we found a video uploaded on the YouTube channel ‘MakkaHHajj. The video was uploaded on August 16, 2019. We analyzed the viral video, and the video uploaded on YouTube from frame to frame and established that it is the same video doing rounds on social media. According to the description, the footage is of Hajj, Saudi Arabia, where 58 worshippers died that year.
We also found the same viral video uploaded on another YouTube channel named “IQ Media Communication.” The video was uploaded on August 17, 2019, much before the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Reverse Image Search led us to a news article, which was published on August 17, 2019. The report carried out the same viral video screenshot. The report reads,” Funerals of 58 bodies inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, who died during their pilgrimage.
مشهد مهيب.. تشييع 58 جنازة بالمسجد الحرام.. بينهم حجاج توفوا بملابس الإحرام
أظهر مقطع فيديو متداول، تشييع 58 جثماناً أمس (الجمعة) داخل المسجد الحرام في مكة المكرمة. وبيّن الفيديو، موكباً لسيارات تحمل جثامين المتوفين، فيما قال بعض متداولي الفيديو إن بعض المتوفين من الحجاج توفوا بملابس الإحرام.
Conclusion
It is clear from our fact check that the viral video doing rounds on social media claiming that this is a scene outside a hospital in Iran due to the novel coronavirus is false. The viral video is of a funeral procession for pilgrims who died during Hajj in 2019.
Tools Used
- InVid
- Google Search
- Google Reverse Image Search
Result: False
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Authors
Shaminder started off his career as a freelance journalist for a consulting and research firm. He has been a Political Strategist and Media Manager. Before joining Newschecker, he worked with various reputed media agencies like Daily Post India, PTC News.
