A video showing an overcrowded boat capsizing into a water body is going viral on social media, with claims that it depicts a recent boat accident in Goa (here, here, here, and here). In this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of an overcrowded boat capsized in Goa.
Fact: This viral video shows a boat capsizing in Lake Kivu, near the port of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on 03 October 2024. The Goa State Police also clarified that this viral video is unrelated to Goa and that the incident occurred in Goma, Congo, Africa. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify details about the viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using keyframes from the video. This search led us to a YouTube video shared by the ‘Associated Press (AP)’ on 04 October 2024. According to the description of the video, the visuals show an overcrowded boat capsizing on Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which resulted in the deaths of at least 78 people.
Taking a cue from this, we conducted a relevant keyword search to gather more details about the boat accident. This search led us to several reports (here, here, here, & here). According to these reports, the boat accident occurred on 03 October 2024, on Lake Kivu at the port of Goma, Congo. The governor of South Kivu province, Jean-Jacques, stated that nearly 278 people were on board the boat at the time of the accident, and at least 78 people drowned in this incident.
During this search, we also found a clarification post regarding this viral video by the Goa Police on X (formerly Twitter). They clarified that the viral video is not from Goa but from Congo, Africa. The Goa Police post reads: ‘Official Clarification: A video circulating on social media claims a boat capsized near Goa’s shores. This is false. The incident occurred in Goma, Congo, Africa. Please refrain from sharing unverified news.’ — Goa Police’.
To sum it up, a video of a boat capsizing in Congo’s Lake Kivu is being falsely shared, linking it to Goa.
