E-Paper
Fact Check: No, video of bodies being dumped in ditch isn’t from Italy. It’s a work of fiction
The video is a work of fiction and is being shared with a misleading claim.
A graphic fictional video showing corpses wrapped in body bags being dumped in a ditch is being shared with a claim that it shows people who have died in Italy after the novel coronavirus outbreak. The claim is false.
The 23-second-long video shows dead bodies on the floor of a room. A few seconds into the video, an anchor says, “Though unsubstantiated by state and city authorities, we now have information from a knowledgeable source that tells us the city’s temporary morgues are filled beyond capacity. Mass graves have been dug for the incineration and burial of the dead. The current death toll due to the riptide virus is now in the thousands.” As the narration goes on, the scene changes and shows bodies being dumped in a ditch.
“Dead bodies of Corona victims in Italy!” wrote a Facebook user and shared the clip.
Graphic video: viewer discretion advised
Reverse image searches of the keyframes of the viral clip revealed a YouTube video titled “Pandemic | Coronavirus Movie | PART 2.” This over-an-hour-long video contains the portion which is now being shared with the false claim. The clip is from a mini-series named ‘Pandemic’.
Hence, the video showing bodies being dumped in ditch with the claim that it’s from Italy is fake. Also, the clip is not from any real life incident but is a work of fiction.
