FACT CHECK: MH370 found after 9 years? Viral photo claims no skeletons recovered from Malaysian Airlines plane
By Sunita Iyer | First Published May 4, 2023, 11:53 AM ISTMalaysian Airlines flight MH370 with 239 passengers onboard had vanished in March 2014, sparking one of the biggest mysteries of the 21st century. Now, a viral photo claims the plane has been found underwater with no skeletons. Here's the truth of the photograph.
A photograph of an abandoned plane has gone viral on social media, claiming that the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished in March 2014, has been discovered underwater with no skeletons despite carrying 239 people on board.
Is it true? NO
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On March 8, 2014, Malaysian Airlines' passenger aircraft MH370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China. Despite extensive international efforts to find the flight, neither the debris nor a definitive explanation for its disappearance has been found. This has sparked extensive media discussion, numerous conspiracy theories, and a Netflix documentary.
Several social media users recently shared a viral image of an abandoned aircraft wreckage underwater on Twitter with the caption, "Malaysia Airplane MH370 that disappeared 9 years ago has been found under the ocean with no human skeleton. The plane had 239 passengers on board."
Malaysia Airplane MH370 that disappeared 9 years ago has been found under ocean with no human skeleton. The plane had 239 passengers on board. pic.twitter.com/STPCSPJAXj
— 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐇 (@254_icon)Fact Check
To uncover the most recent information on Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Asianet Newsable ran a series of keyword searches. However, it could not locate reliable stories claiming the plane had been discovered. Some marine debris found in the western Indian Ocean has been identified as belonging to the missing aircraft, according to research made public by the Malaysian government. The aeroplane's wreckage has yet to be located, though.
What is the truth? If not MH370, then what?
Asianet Newsable performed a Google reverse image search of the viral image of the aircraft wreckage and was directed to an article by CNN about the underwater wreckage of a Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar aeroplane, which was reportedly sunk in Jordon's Gulf of Aqaba in 2019 "to create an artificial reef to encourage marine life", and encourage dive tourism.
The story also notes the efforts of diver and underwater photographer Brett Hoelzer, who has made numerous dives to get images of the sunken planes. Additionally, he gave us a link to his Instagram account, where we discovered multiple pictures and footage of the submerged Tristar airliner.
The aircraft in the viral photo and the one visible in the images of the Tristar debris both have the same damage to their noses, indicating that they are from the same disaster.
Conclusion
An image going viral of a Lockheed Martin L1011 TriStar jet in the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan is being circulated under the false pretence that it is the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines' missing aeroplane MH370, which was discovered to be devoid of any remains.
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