Viral hoax: China denies it is marinating dead bodies to sell in cans at African supermarkets

China has been forced to deny that they are 'marinating dead bodies' after it has been accused of putting the human meat in cans and selling them at African supermarkets. 

According to DailyMail via AsianTown, it was a bizarre Facebook hoax that went viral, with images obtained from a 2012 publicity stunt for Resident Evil 6.

Rumours of the alleged trade in human meat first began circulating on social media thanks to a series of photographs of what appeared to be skinned people in a meat factory. 

One Facebook user shared the images alongside the caption:

"Chinese people have started producing corned beef with their dead bodies and sending them to Africa.

"Please stay away from corned beef irrespective of brand, most especially in Africa and from Afro-Asian grocery shops."

Zambian press was accused of encouraging the rumours, after publishing articles that quoted alleged sources from inside the Chinese meat factories. 

According to the alleged sources, the idea to use human meat came when China ran out of space to dispose of its dead. 

Others claimed Beijing preferred to save its "good meat" for richer, more powerful countries.

"Today a local tabloid newspaper is openly spreading a rumour, claiming that the Chinese use human meat to make corned beef and sell it to Africa," said Yang Youming, China's ambassador to Zambia.

"This is completely a malicious slandering and vilification which is absolutely unacceptable to us. We hereby express our utmost anger and the strongest condemnation over such an act."