Posts share false Bangladesh jet crash death toll
"Dead -- 247; injured -- 522. Source: Milestone School authority," reads a Bengali-language Facebook post shared on July 23, two days after the disaster.
Pupils had just been let out of class when a Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft slammed into the private Milestone School and College in Dhaka (archived link).
The post generated over 100 comments from users who appeared confused over the figures mentioned, which were higher than official reports.
Some suggested there was a cover-up while others appeared to believe the false claim.
"How cruel! We are always the scapegoats," one said. Another wrote, "Many die and they say 26/27 people died."
Similar Facebook posts also racked up more shares but the school dismissed the claims.
"This is completely baseless and wrong information," Milestone School and College coordinator Lutfunnessa Lopa told AFP on July 24.
The claims are "impossible", she said, as the number of injured people mentioned in the false posts -- 522 -- exceeded those present at the campus at the time of the crash.
AFP found no report on the school's website or Facebook page that stated the number of dead in the crash as 247 (archived here and here).
The school authority released a statement on the day stating 22 students had died so far in the disaster, while many critical patients are receiving treatments in different hospitals (archived link).
Lopa said that the number only covers the children who died, while the government's official death toll includes parents, teachers and staff who were killed.
Special prayers were held across Bangladesh on July 25, as the death toll from the disaster rose to 32 (archived link).
Bangladesh's Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate also separately refuted the posts.
"It has been observed that widespread rumours are being spread on social media regarding the death toll at Milestone School and College. Many people are unknowingly believing these rumours," reads a statement the agency issued to the media (archived link).
AFP has debunked misinformation around the crash here.
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