
Claim: A ghost ship filled with Ebola-ridden rats is heading towards Florida.
FALSE
Example: [Collected via e-mail, January 2015]
Would like to confirm latest fantastical story making the rounds on Facebook: Ghost ship filled with Ebola-ridden rats heading for Florida.
Origins: On
A large cargo ship originating from West Africa has the American authorities on high alert as it is approaching the coast of Florida. All
The ship left Sierra Leone on July 13 2014 in destination of the Mexican city of Tampico. Six days after leaving the port of Freetown, the captain of the ship reported in a radio communication that three of the crew members were beginning to show distressing symptoms that suggested they could be infected with ebola, and that the ship was changing course to head towards Cape Verde to get some medical help. This was the last time that the crew was heard of, and all
"We are determined to protect the American population from this unique threat" says coast guard commander, James Fitzgerald. "There is no way we are going to let those disease-ridden rats set foot in the USA. We're gonna find that ship and we're gonna sink it!"
The fictitious World News Daily Report article contained fabricated photos,
But there is no truth to the above-quoted story. World News Daily Report is a fake news site, and its disclaimer notes all articles published on the web site are for entertainment purposes only:
WNDR assumes however all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content. All characters appearing in the articles in this
Last updated: 8 January 2015