A Facebook page with over 84,000 followers has shared a photo it says shows that Mombasa, Kenya’s second-largest city, is running out of burial space because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the photo, people dressed in protective overalls and face masks are seen next to what looks like a mass grave with multiple coffins.
“Mombasa is running out of burial space with cemeteries almost full amidst fears growing Covid-19 fatalities have overstretched the available space,” part of the caption reads.
But does the photo show a congested cemetery in Mombasa? We checked.
A reverse image search of the photo quickly traced its origin to Hart Island in New York City in the US. Hart Island has been used as a pauper’s graveyard or potter’s field since 1869.
The photo was published by Reuters on 10 April 2020 under the headline: “Workers bury the dead in mass grave on New York City's Hart Island amid coronavirus outbreak”.
It is captioned: “Drone pictures show bodies being buried on New York's Hart Island where the department of corrections is dealing with more burials overall, amid the coronavirus outbreak in New York City, April 9.”
While the photo shows mass graves for people who died from Covid-19, it was taken in the US and not Mombasa, Kenya. – Dancan Bwire
In the photo, people dressed in protective overalls and face masks are seen next to what looks like a mass grave with multiple coffins.
“Mombasa is running out of burial space with cemeteries almost full amidst fears growing Covid-19 fatalities have overstretched the available space,” part of the caption reads.
But does the photo show a congested cemetery in Mombasa? We checked.
Photo not from Kenya
A reverse image search of the photo quickly traced its origin to Hart Island in New York City in the US. Hart Island has been used as a pauper’s graveyard or potter’s field since 1869.
The photo was published by Reuters on 10 April 2020 under the headline: “Workers bury the dead in mass grave on New York City's Hart Island amid coronavirus outbreak”.
It is captioned: “Drone pictures show bodies being buried on New York's Hart Island where the department of corrections is dealing with more burials overall, amid the coronavirus outbreak in New York City, April 9.”
While the photo shows mass graves for people who died from Covid-19, it was taken in the US and not Mombasa, Kenya. – Dancan Bwire
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