This image shows the wreckage of an Indian military helicopter that crashed in 2019

The photo was posted on Facebook here on May 3, 2021, where it has been shared more than 3,000 times.

The post’s Burmese-language caption translates to English as: “If the plane is in this condition, the bodies of three soldiers on board will be in pieces. Such a waste...for the KIA’s missile.”

Image

Screenshot taken on May 4, 2021 of the misleading Facebook post

“KIA” refers to the Kachin Independence Army, one of the ethnic armed groups based in Myanmar.

The KIA, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the military in northern Kachin state, has been hit by airstrikes in recent weeks.

On May 3, the group said it had shot down a military helicopter, a day after a renewed junta crackdown on anti-coup protests left at least five civilians dead. AFP reported on the developments here.

The photo circulated with a similar claim on Facebook here, here and here.

The claim, however, is false.

A reverse image search on Google found the photo has circulated online since October 2019 in reports about a helicopter crash in India.

The photo appeared in this report on October 24, 2019 by the state-run Press Trust of India.

The headline reads: “Army chopper with Northern Army commander on board crash lands in JK, no casualties.”

Indian journalists tweeted about the helicopter crash landing at the time, for example here and here.

The image of the helicopter wreckage was also shared in this tweet on October 26, 2019 by Asif Ghafoor, a major general in the Pakistan Army.

Indian Army silent on its heli-crash with senior leadership onboard. No visibility of injured ones. Wreckage presents different story. Technical fault still or an afterthought likely for a fratricide again.

PS:
Best wishes for recovery of those reported injured, as a soldier. pic.twitter.com/COj9QjqNWY

— Asif Ghafoor (@peaceforchange) October 25, 2019