The viral video of a boat capsizing is from Congo, not Goa

A Facebook user shared the video and wrote, “Accident in Goa today, 23 bodies recovered, 40 people rescued and 64 missing. The boat owner's greed and the travelers' hubris led to this very sad and tragic event.”

There are similar posts here and here.

Fact check

NewsMeter found the claim to be false.

A reverse image search led us to a video posted on the Associated Press YouTube channel titled “Video shows moment boat sinks in eastern Congo, killing at least 78 people” dated October 4, 2024.

The images in the report closely resembled the viral video. This 35-second video showed an overcrowded boat gradually overturning, sending all its occupants into the water.

We found a report from Al Jazeera titled “Boat capsizes in Democratic Republic of Congo” from October 3, 2024. The report said the video captured the moment a boat carrying many passengers overturned on Lake Kivu in eastern Congo. According to witnesses, at least 50 people were killed.

We also compared the keyframes of the viral video with the report and found similarities.

Additionally, we found a Reuters article titled “78 drown after boat capsizes in Congo's Lake Kivu, provincial governor says,” published on October 4, 2024.

According to the report, the governor of North Kivu province confirmed 58 survivors and at least 28 deaths. The boat capsized around 700 meters from the harbor and the cause of the accident is being investigated. Overcrowding is a well-known problem in Congolese waters, often leading to such tragedies.

The Goa Police also issued an official statement on X confirming that the viral video is not from Goa but from Congo.

Therefore, the claim that the video shows a boat accident in Goa is false. The footage comes from a recent accident in Congo where an overloaded boat capsized on Lake Kivu, causing numerous deaths.