DESPITE the glass encasement, some devotees managed to climb and touch the image of the Black Nazarene to the chagrin of church officials who prohibited such acts during yesterday’s Traslacion. Most of the faithful, however, contented themselves with handing their handkerchiefs to the carriage guardians who wiped them at the image. | Photograph by King Rodriguez for the Daily Tribune
KING RODRIGUEZ
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Out of the massive crowd of more than six million devotees at the Feast of the Black Nazarene procession, a staggering 706 sought medical help by 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Philippine Red Cross reported that they checked the vital signs of 257 devotees who were experiencing difficulty breathing, chest pains, hyperventilation, headaches, elevated blood pressure and dizziness.
Data also showed that 215 individuals had minor injuries such as abrasions, burns, punctures, lacerations, infected wounds, and a suspected fracture of the left ankle.
PRC said 34 people were transported to its emergency field hospital and the Philippine General Hospital for fever, cough, dizziness, body weakness, vomiting, ankle sprain, chest pain, and numbness.
A pregnant woman who experienced abdominal pains and another with second-degree burns were among the major cases. Some nine individuals received welfare assistance, including four psycho-social first aid, three contact tracing, and two referrals, while 185 were given hot meals.
The PRC deployed ten first aid stations, eight welfare desks, one emergency field hospital, 13 ambulances, one fire truck, one food truck, one rescue boat, and 319 volunteers.
About 6.5 million devotees took part in the Black Nazarene procession, roughly three times the attendance anticipated by the local government of Manila after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
