Hours after a strong windstorm swept across parts of Kenya on 1 October 2019, claims about the event made their way online.
Kenya’s major news outlets reported just one death, of a woman electrocuted in an incident related to the storm.
Yet a Facebook user shared a photo on a popular Kenyan group page, claiming it showed a ship capsized by the strong winds off the coastal city of Mombasa, which “resulted in thousands of deaths”.
The Kiswahili caption reads: “Maelfu wahofiwa kuzama baharini uko Mombasa baada ya upepo mkali kukumba sehemu hiyo.”
This translates as: “Thousands feared to have drowned in the ocean in Mombasa after strong windstorms swept through the area.”
Does the photo show a capsized ship on the Kenyan coast? We checked.
No, it’s actually of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia, as a reverse image search reveals.
The ship ran aground on 14 January 2012 near the Italian island of Isola del Giglio. Thirty-two people drowned.
The disaster was reported by media houses worldwide.
Photos of the Costa Concordia accident can be found on the stock photo sites Getty Images, Shutterstock and Alamy. – Dancan Bwire
Kenya’s major news outlets reported just one death, of a woman electrocuted in an incident related to the storm.
Yet a Facebook user shared a photo on a popular Kenyan group page, claiming it showed a ship capsized by the strong winds off the coastal city of Mombasa, which “resulted in thousands of deaths”.
The Kiswahili caption reads: “Maelfu wahofiwa kuzama baharini uko Mombasa baada ya upepo mkali kukumba sehemu hiyo.”
This translates as: “Thousands feared to have drowned in the ocean in Mombasa after strong windstorms swept through the area.”
Does the photo show a capsized ship on the Kenyan coast? We checked.
Italian shipwreck in 2012
No, it’s actually of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia, as a reverse image search reveals.
The ship ran aground on 14 January 2012 near the Italian island of Isola del Giglio. Thirty-two people drowned.
The disaster was reported by media houses worldwide.
Photos of the Costa Concordia accident can be found on the stock photo sites Getty Images, Shutterstock and Alamy. – Dancan Bwire
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