Following the earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand late last month, photos and video clips showing rows of coffins quickly went viral on social media platforms. These posts claimed that the coffins contained victims of an earthquake that struck Thailand in late March, shocking many users. However, upon verification, it was confirmed that this claim is false.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM
A 10-second video clip, along with images showing rescue workers carrying coffins filled with bodies lined up, gained significant traction on social media. These posts claimed the bodies were victims of the earthquake that hit Thailand in late March. However, these claims remain unverified and may be misleading.
The image below features a widely shared video clip on Facebook, accompanied by a caption in Khmer that reads: “Victims of the earthquake in Thailand on May 28, 2025.”
The video clip associated with this claim has been shared over 17,000 times on Facebook, eliciting an outpouring of reactions and comments from Khmer-speaking users who expressed deep shock and sorrow over the alleged tragedy.
Below is a video featuring the same content, shared by other Facebook users on social media, where it quickly gained widespread attention.
Alongside the claim linked to the video clip, an image of the coffins was also shared on social media with the same assertion. This occurred a day after the earthquake that affected both Burma and Thailand on March 28, 2025.
Below is a screenshot from a post on social media on March 29, 2025, showing coffins lined up with the caption, “Coffins of victims of the earthquake in Thailand on March 28, 2025!”
Earlier this month, the same video clip was shared on X (formerly Twitter), with claims that the victims shown were casualties of the earthquake that struck Thailand on March 28.
Below is a clip shared on X, accompanied by the caption: “30.03.2025 – A horrific tragedy in Bangkok. Hospitals are overwhelmed; victims are scattered in the aftermath of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake originating from Myanmar. Cries for help resonate through the rubble. As of this morning, over 1,600 lives have been lost, and 3,500 people are injured.”
Clip Shared on X | Archived Link
The same video clip was later shared on Facebook by a Vietnamese-speaking user, who claimed it depicted victims of the earthquake that tremored Thailand on March 28.
Due to its widespread popularity on social media, numerous videos and images related to this claim can be found across various posts and links shared online: Link 1 (archived), Link 2 (archived), Link 3 (archived), Link 4 (archived), Link 5 (archived), Link 6 (archived), Link 7 (archived), Link 8 (archived), and Link 9 (archived).
FACT CHECK
Fact Crescendo investigated this claim using Google Reverse Image Search, uncovering the following details during the verification process.
Through a Google Reverse Image Search, we discovered that this image had been shared on Facebook in late February by a Thai page called Ejan.
The Facebook page mentioned above clarified that the photo depicts the bodies of 18 students who tragically lost their lives in a school bus accident in Prachinburi province in late February, rather than victims of the earthquake in late March.
Below is a screenshot of a Facebook post dated February 26, 2025, stating that 18 bodies were being prepared for transport to a residence in Nakhon Ratchasima Province.
On February 26, the Facebook page reported that a bus transporting students to an internship had crashed in Prachin Buri province, resulting in 19 fatalities and 40 injuries.
Alongside the photos shared by this news outlet, a video of the incident was also covered by other Thai media outlets in late February and subsequently circulated on social media platforms.
Below is a video report shared by MGR Online on its Facebook page on February 26, 2025. The accompanying caption in Thai stated that 19 coffins containing the bodies were transported to a morgue in Nakhon Ratchasima province before being returned to their respective families.
Reports from various media outlets indicated that on February 26, a bus carrying students to a field trip overturned in a tragic accident, leading to 19 fatalities and numerous injuries.
The bodies, placed in coffins, were transported to Nakhon Ratchasima province later that same afternoon after being prepared for collection at the accident site. This heartbreaking incident occurred almost a month before the earthquake that struck Thailand in late March.
As clarified in the news report, the video and images showing bodies in coffins do not depict victims of the earthquake that struck Thailand on March 28.
A report from the German news outlet DW states that a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Burma has claimed over 3,000 lives, with more than 200 people still missing as of the weekend.
In the aftermath of last week’s earthquake, social media has been flooded with a wave of misinformation and unfounded claims.
For more than a week, Fact Crescendo has been diligently working to combat the spread of fake news and false claims circulating on social media. Below is an article they published highlighting their efforts:
- ការអះអាងមិនត្រឹមត្រូវថា ព្រះសង្ឃ និងពុទ្ធបរិស័ទភូមាធ្វើសមាធិជាជនរងគ្រោះរញ្ជួយដីថ្មីៗ
- ប្រាសាទបុរាណខូចខាតដោយរញ្ជួយដីនៅ Mandalay ត្រូវបានច្រឡំថាជាចេតិយ Shwedagon
- វត្តមានរបស់ត្រី Oarfish ជាសញ្ញាប្រាប់គ្រោះមហន្តរាយខាងមុខ តើជាការពិតឬទេ?
- រូបភាពក្មេងដែលមើលទៅដូចជាប់ក្នុងគំនរបាក់បែក មិនមែនជាជនរងគ្រោះរញ្ជួយដីថ្មីៗនេះទេ
- Misleading Claim Portrays Meditating Monks as Earthquake Victims
- Viral Video of Myanmar Earthquake Aftermath Revealed as AI-Generated
- Viral Image of Trapped Child Not Related to Myanmar Earthquake
- Old video from Taiwan falsely shared, linking to the recent Myanmar-Thailand earthquake
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CONCLUSION
Fact Crescendo concluded that the claims mentioned above are false. The video clip and images of coffins containing bodies do not show victims of the late March earthquake. Instead, they depict the bodies of 19 individuals who tragically lost their lives in a bus accident in Prachin Buri province in late February.
Title:School Bus Crash Footage Misrepresented as Earthquake Victims in Thailand
Written By: Jay UdomResult: False
