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Claim: An X user @AlinurMohammed_ has shared an image featuring the wreckage of an aircraft claiming to be from the plane crash involving Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima.
Verdict: Misleading. A Google Reverse Image Search revealed that the image is actually from a plane crash in Ukraine. The photo depicts a 26 military aircraft with 27 people on board, which crashed during a training flight while landing at a military base near the city of Chuguev in the Kharkiv region.
Full Text
It was a sombre day for the people of Malawi when news broke that the country’s Vice President, Saulos Chilima, had died in a plane crash along with nine other passengers. Reports indicate the aircraft went missing after it failed to land at Mzuzu International Airport, approximately 380 km (240 miles) north of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe. According to Chakwera, the wreckage was eventually located on Tuesday.
Social media platforms, including a post by Kenyan politician Alinur Mohammed on X, have shared images of wrecked aeroplanes, attributing them to the crash involving Vice President Saulos Chilima.
The claim had the caption: “BREAKING NEWS: Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima and 9 others confirmed dead in a plane crash. The plane has been found, and all 10 on board are dead! (My) deepest condolences to the Government of Malawi, VP Chilima’s family (the VP and his wife were on board), and the families of the VP’s aides and crew. May their soul rest in peace.”
As of the time of writing, the photo has been viewed 100,000 times and received over 800 likes.
Verification
A Google Reverse Image Search revealed that the photo had been misattributed. The image is actually from Ukraine and was originally sourced from Xinhuanet. According to the report, Sergey Starostenko published the photo on Sept 26, 2020. The description indicated that the photo was taken when an An-26 military aircraft with 27 people on board crashed during a training flight while landing at a military base near Chuguev in the Kharkiv region. Another news report by China Military Online also used the same photo, attributing it to Xinhuanet.
Additionally, CGTN published a video story of the incident on its Facebook page. The caption revealed that,
“A preliminary analysis of the An-26 military aeroplane crash in northeastern Ukraine suggests that it most likely caught its wing on the ground. A preliminary assessment by flight safety experts showed that the aircraft did not experience failure with the left engine, as previously reported, but rather an issue with one of its sensors.”
Conclusion
The widely circulated image on social media, particularly X, is misleading. The photo depicts an An-26 military aircraft with 27 people on board, which crashed during a training flight while landing at a military base near the city of Chuguev in the Kharkiv region.
