The Singapore-flagged container ship GFS Pride sank in the Strait of Hormuz on October 14 after catching fire, prompting a wave of viral videos claiming Iranian fishermen were retrieving floating iPhones and French perfumes.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirmed the vessel sustained damage and a fire and subsequently sank while being towed ashore. All 21 crew members were evacuated safely with no injuries reported.

The cause remains disputed. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the ship was struck by an Iranian projectile on October 13 while transiting the strategic waterway. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy claimed the vessel entered an “unauthorized and dangerous” route and struck a naval mine.

The vessel was carrying more than 2,500 containers, according to the IRGC. Its full cargo manifest has not been publicly released.

Following the sinking, videos circulated on social media showing small boats navigating among partially submerged containers, with people pulling boxes from the water. One clip showed a small boat attempting to tow an entire shipping container.

Fact-checkers have flagged concerns. Some widely shared images claiming to show thousands of iPhone boxes floating perfectly were identified as AI-generated. There is no independent confirmation the recovered goods were iPhones from the GFS Pride.