Hoax 'Hajj plane crash' claims spread online
"Heartbreaking to hear the news of a plane carrying pilgrims from Mauritania crashing off the coast of the Red Sea while travelling to the holy site. Reports say more than 200 pilgrims died on board," reads a Thai-language Facebook post on May 28, 2025.
It includes a minute-long shaky video of a dark plane cabin with audio of prayers from distressed passengers.
Image
Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on June 4, 2025
"Mauritanian hajj pilgrims plane crash on the shores of the Red Sea, on the way to the holy city of Mecca, more than 210 Hajj pilgrims were martyred in the plane crash," reads another post on Instagram on the same day, written in Indonesian and sharing an image of a destroyed aircraft.
Image
Screenshot of the false Instagram post taken, on June 5, 2025
Similar posts also appeared elsewhere on Facebook and spread in English and Hindi as more than 1.5 million pilgrims joined Islam's most important rite (archived link).
But Mauritania Airlines rejected claims of an aviation disaster in a statement posted on Facebook on May 27, 2025 (archived link).
"Some foreign social media pages circulated malicious rumours about the crash of a plane carrying Mauritanian pilgrims off the Red Sea, which is baseless news," it reads in part.
It adds all Mauritanian pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia arrived safely.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the circulating video found it earlier posted on Instagram on October 29, 2018.
AFP previously debunked posts that have misused the clip.
David Ditama -- the owner of the Instagram account -- wrote that he had uploaded the footage after the crash of Lion Air flight JT 610 on the day because he wanted to share his traumatic experience from a year earlier (archived link).
He told AFP the video was taken on December 11, 2017 during Lion Air flight JT 353 from Padang, in West Sumatra province, to Jakarta. The flight experienced heavy turbulence and engine shutdowns, but landed safely.
Image
Screenshot comparison between the false Facebook post (L) and the video shared on the Instagram post
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a former spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster agency, said on X on the same day that the clip shows turbulence on flight JT 353 (archived link).
"All passengers were safe," the post says.
Meanwhile, the image of a destroyed aircraft also shows visual errors that indicate it has been created using AI.
Image
Screenshot of inconsistencies on false post higlighted by AFP
AFP has previously debunked another post falsely claiming a Mauritanian plane carrying Muslim pilgrims had crashed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AFP
4 hours ago
- AFP
Hoax 'Hajj plane crash' claims spread online
"Heartbreaking to hear the news of a plane carrying pilgrims from Mauritania crashing off the coast of the Red Sea while travelling to the holy site. Reports say more than 200 pilgrims died on board," reads a Thai-language Facebook post on May 28, 2025. It includes a minute-long shaky video of a dark plane cabin with audio of prayers from distressed passengers. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on June 4, 2025 "Mauritanian hajj pilgrims plane crash on the shores of the Red Sea, on the way to the holy city of Mecca, more than 210 Hajj pilgrims were martyred in the plane crash," reads another post on Instagram on the same day, written in Indonesian and sharing an image of a destroyed aircraft. Image Screenshot of the false Instagram post taken, on June 5, 2025 Similar posts also appeared elsewhere on Facebook and spread in English and Hindi as more than 1.5 million pilgrims joined Islam's most important rite (archived link). But Mauritania Airlines rejected claims of an aviation disaster in a statement posted on Facebook on May 27, 2025 (archived link). "Some foreign social media pages circulated malicious rumours about the crash of a plane carrying Mauritanian pilgrims off the Red Sea, which is baseless news," it reads in part. It adds all Mauritanian pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia arrived safely. A reverse image search of keyframes from the circulating video found it earlier posted on Instagram on October 29, 2018. AFP previously debunked posts that have misused the clip. David Ditama -- the owner of the Instagram account -- wrote that he had uploaded the footage after the crash of Lion Air flight JT 610 on the day because he wanted to share his traumatic experience from a year earlier (archived link). He told AFP the video was taken on December 11, 2017 during Lion Air flight JT 353 from Padang, in West Sumatra province, to Jakarta. The flight experienced heavy turbulence and engine shutdowns, but landed safely. Image Screenshot comparison between the false Facebook post (L) and the video shared on the Instagram post Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a former spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster agency, said on X on the same day that the clip shows turbulence on flight JT 353 (archived link). "All passengers were safe," the post says. Meanwhile, the image of a destroyed aircraft also shows visual errors that indicate it has been created using AI. Image Screenshot of inconsistencies on false post higlighted by AFP AFP has previously debunked another post falsely claiming a Mauritanian plane carrying Muslim pilgrims had crashed.
France 24
8 hours ago
- France 24
Bust attributed to Donatello splits Slovakia
The sculpture of Italian noblewoman Cecilia Gonzaga spent centuries in a manor house in central Slovakia, whose owners, the noble Csaky family, left it behind when they fled the advancing World War II front in 1945. Moved about and ultimately forgotten in the aftermath, it was sitting in a depository at the Spis Museum in the eastern town of Levoca when art historian Marta Herucova stumbled across it. The bust had been marked "unknown author". But Herucova noticed the base was inscribed with the words: "Ceciliae Gonzagae opvs Donatelli" (Cecilia Gonzaga, a work by Donatello). If confirmed, it would be only the eighth artwork signed by the Italian Renaissance sculptor discovered worldwide. Herucova made the find in 2019, but it was only announced in February -- surprising the country. "Who would expect an original Donatello to appear in Slovakia?" former museum director Maria Novotna told AFP. But the bust is now a subject of controversy. Nationalist Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova decided to remove it from the museum and bring it to an unknown location in late May, citing security. The move dismayed critics and art historians, who say the bust needs expert conservation and research to confirm if it is really by Donatello (1386-1466). War story The bust has an epic backstory. After the Csaky family fled, Soviet troops looted their house, which then became a juvenile detention centre for girls after the communist government took over former Czechoslovakia in 1948. The girls played with the bust and even defined its eyes with blue pen, said Peter Cizmar, the son of a former guardian. In 1975, artwork still surviving at the centre was moved to the nearby Spis Museum. Attributed to an unknown 19th-century artist, the bust "was put in a depository and had not left it since", said former director Novotna, an art historian. Novotna was in charge of the museum catalogue as a young worker, and now bemoans a lack of time for research as she was swamped with work. Dinner companion In 2019, Herucova was working on the museum's 19th-century collection when she found the piece. "The bust just came up," she said. After noticing the inscription, she started in-depth research. She suspected forgery, but the material, details and inscription were all too telling, she said. "Even artists who made Renaissance-style busts never signed them in the name of the original author," Herucova told AFP. She wrote about the finding in the French art history magazine Revue de l'Art, waiting for someone to contest the bust's origin -- which has not happened. Herucova also contacted Count Moritz Csaky, who had no clear recollection of its origin either, as his family left for Vienna when he was 11. But he did recall seeing the bust placed on the porch, where the family dined in summer. "He said there used to be two original Gothic statues next to it, which are also in the museum today," Herucova said. 'Safe and protected' Herucova also contacted Italian art history professor Francesco Caglioti, who voiced doubt about the authorship but declined to elaborate. She is now pinning hopes on research in cooperation with foreign institutions. But for now, the bust is hidden away. Simkovicova, the culture minister who ordered it be moved with the help of a police commando, said it was "now safe and protected". Police chief Jana Maskarova later said the bust was at an interior ministry centre in Topolcianky, central Slovakia. Simkovicova promised to display the bust when "conditions are favourable". Herucova hopes the ministry will not try to revamp the bust, which should retain its patina, she said. "It's supposed to go to a professional place where they know how to do lab analyses." Emancipated noblewoman Research suggests the bust was made when Cecilia Gonzaga (1426-1451) became engaged to influential politician Oddantonio da Montefeltro. Her father made the match, seeking to bolster relations between the families, but the well-educated Cecilia chose a life in a convent over marriage. It is known that Cecilia's brother commissioned artworks from Donatello. The Gonzagas later fostered strong ties with the imperial court of Vienna and were united by marriage with the Csaky family. Some studies suggest the bust was made after Cecilia became a nun, possibly based on an earlier coin bearing her likeness. Novotna said she believed the bust was Donatello's work. © 2025 AFP
AFP
10 hours ago
- AFP
Old Indonesian landslide clip misrepresented as deadly mining disaster
"Rockfall in Mount Kuda. The information is 8 dead, 12 injured, and 10 still missing. May the deceased get the best place in the sight of God," reads the Indonesian-language caption to an Instagram video shared on May 31, 2025. The video shows a rocky cliff collapsing while several people in the foreground run away. Image Screenshot of the false Instagram post, captured on June 8, 2025 The video circulated after a landslide at a limestone mine in Mount Kuda in Cirebon on May 30 that local media outlet reported killed 21 people and left four missing (archived link). The company overseeing the mine was operating legally, but safety standards were lacking, according to West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, who said he had ordered its closure (archived link). Similar posts purportedly showing the landslide were also shared on , TikTok and X. The video, however, does not show the May 30 landslide. A combination of reverse image searches using keyframes from the falsely shared video and keyword searches on Google led to the same footage published on June 20, 2023 by an Instagram account that shares information about West Java (archived link). "These are the seconds before rockfall occurred in Mount Kuda, Bobos Village, Dukupuntang District, Cirebon Regency, on Monday (June 19, 2023). There were no fatalities in this incident," reads its Indonesian-language caption. Image Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the video from June 2023 (right) The footage was also used by local media outlet Tribun Jateng and Dutch digital media company KameraOne in June 2023 (archived here and here). According to local media platform Kumparan, the landslide was caused by heavy rainfall and an undercutting mining method (archived link). No fatalities were recorded. AFP has debunked other false claims that misrepresented old landslide footage here and here.
