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Two people died and at least 40 others were hurt as throngs of devotees fought their way to get near the Black Nazarene after hundreds of policemen ushered it out of the Quiapo Church in Manila Wednesday afternoon.

Dr. Eva Rose Cabulayan of the Ospital ng Maynila said one of the fatalities, Alex Radovan, 44, was brought by ambulance of the Ospital ng Tondo around 2 p.m. The other fatality was 51-year-old Cecilia Fajardo.

Carol Rondoles, nursing attendant at the Ospital ng Maynila, said that according to Radovan’s wife, Habiba, her husband got overwhelmed by the crowd of devotees and suffered a heart attack.

The Manila Police District, meanwhile, clarified that Radovan died in the Carriedo area, which was not included in the procession route.

In a related report, the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) identified 14 of those injured as Jose Angeles, Carmelita Cruz, Josephine Rubio, Larida Kidula, Rolyente Rosilyo, Mon Rivera, Cesar Untalan, Mark Anthony Ballesteros, Anthony Santiago, Raymund Palacio, Moneta Roselya, Alex Rodoban, Delfin Palacio, and Linda Malbas.

Twenty-six other unidentified people were also hurt during the procession, PNRC said. 

Nineteen public and private schools in Manila, meanwhile, suspended their classes.

Policemen placed themselves around the Black Nazarene as it was being brought to Villalobos Street where thousands of devotees waited.

The image went through an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 crowd for at least 10 minutes before being finally brought to Plaza Miranda and reached Villalobos Street. The procession started around 1:40 p.m.

Police said they are expecting up to three million devotees to flood Quezon Boulevard and other streets around Quiapo where the black image will be brought.

Police and the local government of Manila prepared for at least three days before the feast to avoid casualties.

Procession route
The procession is expected to last up to five hours. From Villalobos, the black image will be brought straight to Palanca. The procession will then turn right to P. Gomez and then Paterno and Quezon Boulevard.

From the boulevard, the procession will turn left to Globo de Oro and then Guano, Arlegui, Fraternal Vergara, Duque de Alba, Castillejos, Hornecio, and back to Arlegui, Nepomuceno, Aguila, Carcer, Hidalgo, and Barbosa.

The procession will return to Globo de Oro, right to Palanca to Villalobos and back to the Minor Balisica of the Black Nazarene.

ABS-CBN News correspondent TJ Manotoc reported that even before the procession started, 37 people were brought to a makeshift clinic of the Philippine National Red Cross for first aid treatment.

A footage aired over ABS-CBN News Channel showed two women and a man who fainted being carried out of the crowd and brought to nearby medical teams situated near the church.

The local government formed Task Force Nazareno, composed of five teams that would handle the crowd, security and provide medical assistance to the thousands of devotees.

Hundreds of devotees started trooping in front of the church as early as 4 a.m.

Senior Superintendent Leo Quizon, Manila Police District officer-in-charge, said Tuesday that at least 1,000 policemen are deployed around the district. The military's National Capital Region Command will also deploy soldiers to assist Manila policemen in securing the devotees.

The Manila police deployed eight mobile cars to areas where the Black Nazarene is expected to visit. Three teams of the Special Weapons and Tactics and two anti-bomb squad teams have also been deployed in Quiapo.

Augmenting the police are 400 crime watch volunteers and four firetrucks. At least 13 medical teams of the police, the PNRC, a city-run hospital in Manila and 15 ambulances were also in place to assist casualties during the procession.


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