Coronavirus: Indonesian Market Video Viral As Wuhan, China

A video of an Indonesian market showing wild animals kept in unhygienic conditions and sold as exotic delicacies is being shared as a market in China's Wuhan region, epicenter of the Coronavirus.

The video viral on Facebook and WhatsApp is being shared with the caption, "Whuan market. China, the origin of the #Corona virus."

The caption claims that the market, which sells animals as delicacies is where the Coronavirus originated. The new virus which has caused panic in several countries, including precautionary measures by India, is said to have originated in Wuhan, China. The virus has led to a reported 132 deaths in China so far. While there have been suspected cases in India, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union health minister said on Tuesday that there were no confirmed cases of Coronavirus so far in the country.

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The video has been shared by several users on Facebook with the same false caption that it is Wuhan, China.

FACT CHECK

BOOM was able to ascertain that the video is from Indonesia and not China, as being claimed. The viral video is from the Pasar Tradisional Langowan, in the North Sulawesi region of Indonesia.

We noticed ' Pasar Extream Langowan' written on the video in the first few frames. A Google search for the same showed several results from YouTube showing results of a market in Indonesia where different species of rats,snakes, bats and dogs are sold as a delicacy.

A reverse image search for a key frame from the video showed results from a video on YouTube uploaded on July 20, 2019 with the same text in the description 'Pasar Extream Langowan'

The YouTube video described the market as, "Extreme food in the world is available only at Langowan Market'

We found several similarities in the viral video and the video uploaded on YouTube.

At the 20-second mark in both the videos, we noticed a building on the right with a board with writing in Indonesian which when translated to English reads, 'Government of Minahasa Regency. Trade Department. Langowan Market Office'. A search for the same showed thatr Langowan is a region in Indonesia's North Sulawesi region with majority of the population belonging to the Minahasan ethnicity.

Several International news outlets have also written about the Langowan market which has become a tourist destination of sorts, where people come to see the animals being sold as local delicacies. Pictures on photo wire agency Getty Images for Langowan market also matched scenes from the viral video.

Coronavirus, a deadly mysterious virus is said to have emerged from the Hunan Seafood Wholesale marketplace in Wuhan. The first few cases were reported in December 2019, with patients showing pnuemonia like symptoms. The seafood marketplace in Wuhan has since been shut, with authorities in China working round the clock to contain the massive outbreak. India, as part of the prevention and precautionary measures has set up screening centers at seven airports with nearly 35,000 passengers screened to date.