A claim circulating on X alleges that Mission Hospital in North Carolina held 900 unidentified bodies of Hurricane Helene victims and was turned into a morgue.

There are reports that Mission Hospital in Asheville North Carolina was told today, that they will be the morgue for body recovery. As of a few days ago, there were reports of 900+ bodies at the hospital that haven’t been identified.

There are also reports of babies and… pic.twitter.com/jkjTu8OIgB

— Nashville Angela (@angelanashtn) October 4, 2024

Verdict: False

Mission Hospital is not serving as a morgue, nor are there 900 unidentified bodies from the hurricane at the facility.

Fact Check:

A North Carolina man was arrested in connection with threats made against Federal Emergency Management Agency employees in the wake of Hurricane Helene, according to CNN. The suspect was arrested while in possession of a rifle and handgun, the outlet reported.

The X post suggested that the hospital was being used for body recovery and held over 900 unidentified bodies. The post also mentioned reports of children washing up in rivers and bodies found in trees.

“There are reports that Mission Hospital in Asheville North Carolina was told today, that they will be the morgue for body recovery. As of a few days ago, there were reports of 900+ bodies at the hospital that haven’t been identified,” the post’s caption reads.

The caption is false. Nancy Lindell, the public and media relations director for Mission Health, told Lead Stories, “Mission Hospital is not serving as the local community morgue.”

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) communications supervisor Kelley Richardson also told Lead Stories they “have no information indicating that 900-plus unidentified decedents are located anywhere in North Carolina.”

Richardson explained that fatalities are being managed through joint efforts with the NC Medical Examiner System, FEMA, and local hospitals. Victims are tracked and processed at designated locations, including facilities in Asheville, Charlotte, and Raleigh. Complex cases are handled by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Raleigh.

The original source, a TikTok user named LadyBluefarm, initially claimed there were 900 bodies at “Biltmore Hospital.” In a later video, the user corrected the misinformation, stating “a worker at the hospital told us the information was not true—thank God we don’t want such things to be true.”