Amidst the ongoing rescue mission and steadily mounting death toll in the tragic bridge collapse that struck Kolkata in eastern India, a video has surfaced online claiming the event had – yet again – been ‘foretold’ by Nigerian ‘Prophet’ T.B. Joshua.
Another calamity, another prophecy. Just a day after he allegedly predicted the hijacking of an EgyptAir plane, Joshua’s media team have released another controversial YouTube clip with a purported ‘prophecy’.
“Pray for this country, India,” Joshua is seen telling congregants at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN).
“I am seeing a very huge bridge broken and when a bridge divides into two, what do you think will happen to everybody?” he added, describing the location of the bridge as ‘close to the river’.
Joshua went on to say the incident would elicit ‘Breaking News’ headlines worldwide, calling on people to publicise his message online as a means of warning the Indian public prior to the impending calamity.
“I am seeing this happen; they should take care of Thursday, Wednesday,” he added. “Please, pray for this nation… Innocent people going.”
On Thursday 31st March 2016, a bridge under construction in Kolkata, a city built next to the Hooghly River, tragically collapsed, killing scores of people and injuring hundreds of others.
The accident took place in an area near Girish Park, one of Kolkata’s most densely populated and busiest neighbourhoods.
Terrifying surveillance footage of the moment the bridge collapsed showed pedestrians desperately fleeing for their lives before a mass of solid concrete came crashing down.
Shocking images posted online showed bloodied bodies trapped under concrete slabs with hands and legs sticking out from twisted debris.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was “shocked and saddened” by the tragedy and the Indian army were quickly mobilised to support the rescue team.
The death toll has been placed at 22 but is still expected to significantly rise as the rescue mission proceeds into the night.
“We at Emmanuel TV send our condolences to the nation of India and all the family members and friends of those who died in this tragic incident, praying that God would strengthen and comfort them at this trying time,” the clip of the Nigerian preacher concluded.
With such clips, Joshua’s YouTube channel ‘Emmanuel TV’ continues its rapid rise, having gained more than 325,000 subscribers since its emergence several years ago.
YouTube clip – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKlmOZCRPKw
*Ihechukwu Njoku is a freelance Nigerian journalist…