359 fall ill, hurt during Nazarene procession

Tens of thousands of devotees join the procession from Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo church in celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila.
(INQUIRER PHOTO)

More than 350 people either fell ill or were injured during the procession of the Feast of the Black Nazarene, the Philippine Red Cross reported as of 2 p.m. yesterday.

The PRC report said that 37 fell unconscious, nine complained of headache while 100 felt dizzy. Thirty-two sustained puncture wounds, 115 had abrasions, 49 suffered lacerations, three had suspected fractures and seven had contusions. Seven participants had asthma attacks. Four of the cases had to be brought to hospitals. Two-hundred fifty two people had their blood pressure checked.

Hundreds of cops, traffic enforcers and volunteer groups like the PRC have been deployed to ensure peace and order in the event and to assist participants falling ill.

During the Mass before the start of the procession at the Rizal Park, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle urged nearly half a million devotees to pray for the victims of supertyphoon Yolanda, which killed more than 6,100 people, left nearly 1,800 others missing and displaced more than 4 million mostly poor villagers.

Housewife Jackelyn Cometa said she and her husband joined the procession each of the last 12 years to pray for good health and a better life, but she came with a different plea yesterday.

Her 2-year-old niece remained missing in the storm while two cousins were killed in her father’s hometown of Palo, Leyte.

“I’m praying that my niece be found, even her body,” said Cometa, who lives in a Manila slum.

The Mass at the grandstand abruptly ended when swarms of devotees breached through a security cordon and pushed away iron railings in an attempt to get close to the Black Nazarene, which nearly got knocked down in the melee. Police restored order but several devotees were injured.

Authorities blocked a main road near Manila’s City Hall with container vans to prevent participants from passing through a traditional route across a bridge, where cracks have been found. Huge crowds pushed a container van aside, insisting to pass through the old route, prompting officials to deploy riot police to divert the procession away from danger.