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

Camille Diola(The Philippine Star)

October 16, 2013 - 4:00pm

The Basilica Minore del Santo Niño established in the 1500s and rebuilt in its present form in 1737 has withstood from being burnt down several times in history. It houses an image of an infant Jesus believed to date back to the time of Magellan. On Tuesday, the structure was rocked by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that caused the collapse of its bell tower and portions of its main building (right). Constantin Agustin/YouTube cap

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 NiÃ±o 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.

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