Collapse of the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño's bell tower

Perhaps the collapse of several historic churches in Bohol and Cebu are the most dramatic of the effects of the magnitude-7.2 earthquake that struck Central Visayas on Tuesday, with the iconic Minor Basilica of Santo Niño pilgrimage site in Cebu City as among the structures that received the quake's brunt.

A video uploaded by YouTube user Alfredo Markuz Oliverio on Wednesday shows the shattering of the basilica's bell tower and the panic that gripped passers by upon seeing the oldest surviving church established in 1565, on its knees.

Related: Aerial view of the Bohol damage | The quake aftermath in photos