The government office could not immediately be reached for comment
world1 day ago
A Facebook video viewed more than 1.3 million times claims to show footage captured aboard the Titanic-bound submersible before it imploded in the North Atlantic Ocean.
"MISSING TITANIC SUBMARINE FOOTAGE BEFORE DISAPPEARANCE!!" says the caption of a June 22, 2023 Facebook reel.
The clip appears to show somebody filming a shipwreck through a porthole. Here's a screenshot:
However, the claim is false; the recording was taken inside a tourist submarine and shows a sunken ship off the coast of Barbados.
The post was published the same day the US Coast Guard said the OceanGate Expeditions tourist submersible suffered a "catastrophic implosion," leaving five people dead. The announcement ended a multinational search for the missing vessel, which lost contact with its mothership less than two hours into its dive to the Titanic's wreckage.
Authorities have since said presumed human remains were recovered from pieces of the sub hauled ashore in Canada.
But the clip shared online was not filmed aboard the ill-fated vessel.
AFP matched the sunken ship seen in the footage to the Lord Willoughby, which tourists visiting Barbados can see on excursions run by Atlantis Submarines Barbados.
Stock images and other photos and videos posted to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube show a ship with what appear to be identical features.
Additionally, a voice in the video circulating on social media says: " ... Named after Lord Sir Francis Willoughby, who was the actual governor of this island back in the 1650s. So this period was known as the colonial era, and this vessel here ..."
AFP could not determine the original source of the video. However, other clues also indicate the footage was not captured aboard the OceanGate submersible.
For example, the Titan had one viewport at its front, while the video shared online shows a porthole on the submarine's side.
The Titan's crew comprised five adults, but the clip appears to feature children's voices.
And the Titan set off to tour the Titanic's wreckage more than two miles (nearly four kilometers) beneath the ocean's surface, where sunlight does not reach. In the footage shared online, the ship is illuminated.
A brochure for the Atlantis Submarines experience says it takes people as deep as roughly 130ft (about 40 metres).
AFP reached out to Atlantis Submarines Barbados for comment, but no response was forthcoming.
ALSO READ:
The government office could not immediately be reached for comment
world1 day ago
Britain's queen follows in the footsteps of late Queen Elizabeth, who announced she would stop buying fur in 2019
world1 day ago
UN agencies warn that the latest fighting has newly displaced nearly one quarter of the Gaza Strip's population this month
world1 day ago
Despite the bail, Khan, 71, will not be immediately released as he is serving sentences in two other cases
world1 day ago
Projections consistently show that low-lying Thai capital risks being inundated by the ocean before the end of the century
world1 day ago
The Israeli army sought an explanation for footage showing armed men next to UN Palestinian relief agency vehicles
world1 day ago
Pizzorusso is not the first person to have claimed to have solved the mystery but she cites her knowledge of geology to back her claims
world1 day ago
A central laboratory equipped with the latest technologies will analyse food samples, to make sure safe and quality food is offered to pilgrims
world1 day ago