'9M devotees attended Black Nazarene feast'

MANILA, Philippines - After 18 hours, millions of devotees managed to bring the carriage of the Black Nazarene image from the Quirino Grandstand at Luneta Park to the Quiapo church in Manila during the procession.

The image of the Black Nazarene arrived inside the Quiapo Church around 1:31 a.m. on Thursday.

The yearly religious procession began around 7:30 a.m. last Wednesday from the Quirino Grandstand after the Holy Mass celebrated by Manila Archbishop Antonio Cardinal Tagle.

The carriage of the Black Nazarene was then paraded to streets around Manila City by an estimated 500,000 devotees who were barefoot as sign of their devotion.

Authorities said that around 9 million people converged at Quiapo Church and joined the feast of the Black Nazarene.

Last year, it took 22 hours for the devotees to bring the wooden statue of the Black Nazarene from Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church after several hitches, including the wheels of the carriage breaking down.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross reported that its medical teams treated a total of 1,484 people during the celebration.

PRC said that out of the figure, 816 people sustained minor injuries while 36 only bore serious injuries and 11 persons were brought to the hospital for treatment.