A 23-second video showing piles of dead bodies is viral on social with the claim that these are the victims of coronavirus in Italy. The anchor in the clip can be heard saying, “Though unsubstantiated by state and city authorities, we now have information for 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.”
The video has been shared with the message, “HORRIBLE UNTHINKABLE TO SEE DEAD BODIES AT ITALY coronavirus. Maas grave yard”
HORRIBLE UNTHINKABLE TO SEE DEAD BODIES AT ITALY 👇 coronavirus
Maas grave yard pic.twitter.com/vbnBuvEJYd— Satish Rathod (@Satishrathod100) March 25, 2020
The video is viral on Facebook and Whatsapp.
Dead bodies of Corona victims in Italy !
Ya Allah Raham.
We will defenitely stict to Justice against Injustice anywhere in World. O God , Creator of Universe please forgive us all !
Aameen.Posted by Moinuddin Hasan Altaf on Wednesday, 25 March 2020
Alt News has received several fact-check requests for the video on ( WhatsApp +91 76000 11160 and our official Android application.
Clip from a 2007 miniseries
In the video, the anchor mentions the term “riptide virus”. Taking the clue, Alt News found that the scene is from a miniseries ‘Pandemic’ released in 2007. It available on YouTube and the viral scene can be viewed between 1:01:54 and 1:02:22.
The YouTube link of the series has been attached below. ‘Pandemic’ is a science-fiction horror series where an epidemiologist and an FBI agent try to stop a deadly virus that spreads from person to person in Los Angeles.
A scene from a science-fiction miniseries is thus viral as mass graves of coronavirus victims in Italy.
Note: The number of positive cases of the novel coronavirus in India is close to 700. This has caused the government to impose a complete restriction on movement apart from essential services. Globally, more than 4 lakh confirmed cases and over 21,000 deaths have been reported. There is a growing sense of panic among citizens, causing them to fall for a variety of online misinformation – misleading images and videos rousing fear or medical misinformation promoting pseudoscience and invalid treatments. While your intentions may be pure, misinformation, spread especially during a global pandemic, can take lives. We request our readers to practice caution and not forward unverified messages on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
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