49 birds seen flying over Orlando victims’ candle-lit vigil ceremony

Coincidence or some divine signal?

LAHORE: At the juncture when the names of the 49 victims of the Florida nightclub shooting were being read at a candlelight vigil held at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center, a local female photographer was busy capturing flock of birds through her camera lens.

To her sheer surprise, the number of birds was also 49! In one of its latest reports, American news channel “CNN” stated: “When we're confronted with something as tragic, as difficult to cope with, as the Orlando shooting, some of us will look for solace in the divine. And in those moments, the little things -- ones that don't lend themselves to ready explanations -- can take on great significance. This is the story of one such moment. As the names of the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting were being read at a vigil in Orlando, a photographer noticed something up above: A flock of birds flying by. She snapped a quick photo. But it wasn't until she counted the birds in her frame that she was truly surprised: There were 49.”

Quoting the anonymous photographer, the premier US news channel said: “I then showed everyone around me and had them count. We were all stunned. Seeing the birds made me feel a sense of peace about the tragedy.”

The photographer said there was a deafening silence between the pauses of the names being read and painful sobs in the crowd.  The “CNN” added: “A spokesman for the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center said the birds were a surprise to them as well. He said the center didn't release the birds during the vigil. About 60 miles away at a separate vigil in Lakeland, Florida, 49 doves were released. But the birds in the picture appear to be black. Where the birds came from is unknown.

The photographer said she would like to remain anonymous, because she would rather people be focused on the victims of the tragedy. She posted the photo on her Facebook page, where it was quickly shared thousands of times. In her post, she wrote: "There were 49 birds, my friends. The fallen were with us tonight." Many who responded appeared to have been as taken by the photo as she.”