Fact Check: Are the photos showing coffins of Coronavirus victims in Italy true?

Claim: Photo showing people praying around the coffins of Coronavirus victims in Italy. 

Rating: Miscaptioned

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What is the rumour about?

• A viral image has been circulating on social media showing a number of coffins lying in Italy. 
• The specific viral image shows a picture of a lady crying around the coffins which are covered in casket flowers. Another image is also circulating on social media showing the number of coffins laid on the floor inside a room. Take a look at the viral images. 

Image courtesy: Twitter

Image courtesy: Twitter

Image courtesy: Twitter

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Image courtesy: Twitter

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Google Trends 

After an analysis of Google Trends with respect to the photo of coffins in Italy, one can see that the people have been hugely interested to know about the authenticity of the Italy coffins picture that is circulating on social media. The maximum number of searches have been done on April 4, 2020. 

Image courtesy: Google Trends 

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Republic World did a fact check on the "photos of coffins in Italy" 

• Republic World did a fact check on the viral images showing the series of coffins laid down on the floor, and the photos were found to be miscaptioned. 
• The first image is actually of the people who unfortunately died in Italy due to the earthquake in 2009. 
• According to a daily, which reported the incident in 2009, there were over 205 coffins covered with flowers and photos of those who died were laid out on the police academy parade ground in L'Aquila in central Italy. The area saw an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude. 

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• It was captured by a photographer named Carlo Ferraro. The photo was taken for the European Pressphoto Agency. 
• The second photo is also not of the coronavirus victims and instead, it belongs to the coffins of victims who died in a boat disaster in October 2013. 
• The second picture is from the Lampedusa airport in 2013 after a fishing boat carrying 500 Eritrean and Somali migrants sank off near the southern coast of Italy. 

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Is there any rumour you want Republic World to do a fact check on? Do you have facts about a rumour? Share your pictures or videos with Republic World on contact@republicworld.com or comment on this story itself. 

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