Dated Photo Showing Rows Of Coffins Shared As Coronavirus-Hit Italy

A photo from 2013 of a room full of coffins is viral on social media with false claims that it shows patients who died following the recent outbreak of Coronavirus in Italy. 

The viral picture has a text on it which makes it look like an Instagram story and reads, "In case you're still not convinced to stay at home for you & ur beloved ones... Here's a picture from Italy."

The picture is being shared on Facebook with a caption that reads, "DO NOT TAKE THE CORONA VIRUS LIGHTLY . . . IT'S REALLY SERIOUS !!!"

Click here for the post and here for the archive. 

Also read: Did COVID-19 Positive Kanika Kapoor Take A Selfie With The PM? A FactCheck

FACT-CHECK

BOOM ran a reverse image search on Google and found that the image is from Italy but from 2013, years before the outbreak of COVID-19.

The photo showing rows of coffins has nothing to do with the deaths related to COVID-19 but dates back to October 5th 2013 when many African migrants were killed in shipwreck off the Italian coast. 

We found the same photo uploaded on GettyImages with the caption that read,"Hundreds Of African Migrants Feared Dead Off The Coastline Of Lampedusa." The picture was taken by the photographer Tullio M. Puglia. 

The photo is being shared as the situation in Italy, with regards to the spread of COVID-19 worsens with every passing day. The country has reported more than 4000 deaths with atleast 627 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. 

Also read: No, This Is Not Sophie Trudeau Talking About Coronavirus

The worrying situation has left the Italy's healthcare system struggling and has also caused mortuaries and cemeteries to be over burdened. Bergamo, a city in Italy recently used 70 vehicles of the Italian army to transport the coffins from the cemetery to the crematoria of other regions. The city took the decision after it was unable to accommodate the coffins of deceased COVID-19 victims for several days.