FALSE: Photo shows cadavers in crematorium in Iloilo, Cebu

At a glance

• Claim: A photo circulating on Facebook shows cadavers in a crematorium in Iloilo and Cebu.
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: A reverse image search shows that the photo was taken in a crematorium in Myanmar.
• Why we fact-checked this: Facebook’s Claim Check tool flagged the post as potentially misleading. As of writing, the photo has been shared 127 times and has garnered 74 reactions and 35 comments. 

Complete details

A post on Facebook falsely claims that a photo of cadavers was taken in a crematorium in either Iloilo or Cebu because they are running over capacity. It shows plastic-wrapped cadavers on the floor.

The post was shared on August 6. It says that these cadavers are “robbed of their humanity” and that the list of dead people waiting to be buried is long. It further says that “medical and crematorium frontliners are at the end of human endurance.”

Facebook’s Claim Check tool flagged the post as potentially misleading. As of Tuesday, August 17, 2021, this photo has been shared 127 times and has garnered 74 reactions and 35 comments.

This is false.

A reverse image search shows that the photo was taken in a crematorium in Myanmar. 

The photo was first published on July 16, 2021, by Khit Thit Media, a news organization in Myanmar, on its Facebook page. The caption on the organization’s page says that there were 22 deaths due to COVID-19 on July 15 at Myawaddy Township, Kayin State. Myawaddy is a town in the southeast part of Myanmar.  

Agence France-Presse debunked a similar claim in July that falsely claimed the photo was taken in Sri Lanka.

As of Tuesday, August 17, there are 35,230 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cebu City, 27,613 in the rest of Cebu, and 20,728 in Iloilo. The country’s total caseload is 1,765,675.– JD Moncada/Rappler.com

This article was written by a volunteer of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program, a 5-week exclusive and hands-on training on detecting, investigating, and verifying online misinformation and disinformation.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.