103 injured in Black Nazarene procession

A total of 103 people were injured during the thanksgiving procession of the Black Nazarene.

Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) Chief Johnny Yu told the media that only minor injuries have been recorded and these were immediately given first aid treatment.

Meanwhile, Yu said only two devotees suffered chest pains and were given immediate medical assistance.

The thanksgiving procession was supposed to start at 4 a.m. However, it was delayed due to the huge volume of devotees shoving their way to get near the replica of the revered Black Nazarene.

The route of the procession started at Plaza Miranda then to Evangelista, Recto, Loyola, Bilibid Viejo to G. Puyat Streets. Next, it turned left to Z.P. Guzman, R. Hidalgo, Quezon Boulevard, back to Recto then went back to Quiapo Church.

READ: Manila road closures, traffic rerouting for Black Nazarene procession

The procession took seven hours before the replica went back to church at 12:07 p.m.

Chief Inspector John Guiagui, chief of Plaza Miranda Police Community Precinct, said the procession was generally peaceful. No any untoward incident was reported.

After the thanksgiving procession, authorities will start their preparation for the bigger procession which is the Translacion scheduled on Jan. 9, 2016. RAM