Mauritanian plane carrying Haj pilgrims did not crash; viral visuals are fake

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image and a keyword search to find news stories about the incident and verify the visuals.

Since May 27, 2025, users have been circulating an image across different social media platforms of a plane debris, claiming it showed Mauritanian plane crash that was allegedly carrying Haj pilgrims. However, there have been no news stories regarding such an incident. Additionally, users circulated a 2020 video of an airplane submerged in an ocean, misattributing to the alleged crash.

HOW IT STARTED

On May 27, 2025, the iVerify Pakistan team was alerted by the public about an image being forwarded on social messaging platform WhatsApp of an alleged plane crash carrying Haj pilgrims from Mauritania.

As the team investigated the tip, the same image was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook, collectively gaining nearly 10,000 reactions.

The post was captioned: “Mauritanian Haj Plane Crashes Near the Red Sea – 220 Pilgrims Martyred today, the Muslim Ummah has been struck by a great tragedy. A plane carrying pilgrims from Mauritania en route to the holy land of Hijaz has crashed near the Red Sea. In this heartbreaking accident, all 220 pilgrims on board were martyred. All of these martyrs were guests of Allah, undertaking the sacred journey to visit the Holy Kaaba and perform Haj. To depart from this world in such a state is considered a form of martyrdom.”

A video of an airplane submerged in an ocean surrounded by small boats also went viral with the same claim on X here, here, and here, racking up 107,000, 21,000, and 13,000 views respectively.

The clip has also been shared on Facebook here, here, here, here, and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality, and keen public interest especially given that pilgrims are currently leaving for Haj.

Analysing the viral image, the team identified discrepancies in the visual, such as the main body of the aircraft unnaturally propped up, and headless bodies wrapped in white cloth spaced evenly.

Moreover, the blurry red logo inside a white circle on tail of the aircraft does not resemble the original design of the Mauritanian airline.

The team also ran the image through multiple AI image detection tools. Hive Moderation indicated a 53% likelihood of AI generation, while Decopy AI and Sightengine showed lower probabilities—11% and 15% respectively.

A keyword search for ‘Mauritanian plane crash’ did not yield any reports from major Mauritanian or international news outlets.

The viral clip was also investigated via reverse image search, which led to a Facebook video posted on October 11, 2020.

It was captioned: “An Airbus A330 being sunk as an artificial reef to around 30m deep in the Aegean Sea (Mediterranean Sea). The aircraft is located approximately 1 nautical mile from Ibrice Harbour (of the Keşan district in the northwestern province of Edirne) and is aimed at bringing scuba diving tourism to the area.”

A keyword search for ‘Airbus A330’ and ‘Aegean Sea’ yielded a BBC news article featuring a longer version of the same video on June 15, 2019.

Mauritania Airlines also denied the claim via an official statement on their Facebook page, writing: “Illustrative statement. Some foreign social media pages have been circulating deliberate rumours about a plane carrying Mauritanian pilgrims off the Red Sea crash, which is baseless health news. Mauritania Aviation confirms that all the Mauritanian pilgrims have thankfully arrived in the Holy Lands safely and safely, and no incident has been recorded regarding organised flights in this frame.”

The airline further wrote, “The company has organised three flights in the go, on 23, 24 and 25 May 2025, as part of a plan to transfer Mauritanian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. As for the return flights, God willing, are scheduled on June 12, 13, and 14, 2025, according to the schedule approved in coordination with the concerned parties.”

They added: “Mauritania Aviation calls on everyone to investigate the accuracy and disregard the fake news, and reserves the right to take legal action against rumors promoters that affect the safety, safety of passengers and reputation of the company.”

According to Nigerian news outlet Blueprint, Mauritania’s Director of Haj at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, El Waly Taha, denied the claim, confirming that all Mauritanian pilgrims are safe and have arrived in the holy lands without incident.

Prominent Egyptian journalist confirmed the same.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim about the Mauritanian plane crash carrying Haj pilgrims is false.

The viral clip of the alleged incident – which has no record in the media – circulating is from a 2020 airbus sinking.