Manila, Philippines - Two worshippers died Saturday in the Philippine capital amid a frenzied annual religious procession attended by more than 2 million barefoot devotees to honour the centuries-old statue of a suffering Jesus Christ. Nearly 200 other people sought assistance from paramedics stationed at key areas along the 6.3-kilometre procession route of the Black Nazarene icon, according to Philippine National Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon.
Gordon said many of those who sought medical assistance suffered from wounds in the feet, dizziness and high blood pressure.
One of the fatalities was a 42-year-old man who suffered a cardiac arrest. He was taken to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Another 40-year-old man died from injuries after falling from the Black Nazarene's carriage.
Manila police chief Roberto Rosales said the crowd joining the procession swelled to about 1.4 million, while an estimate 1 million others were waiting in the vicinity of Quiapo church, the final destination of the procession.
Rosales said the crowd of devotees was expected to increase as the icon was brought through the side streets of Quiapo district in central Manila.
"More people are expected to join the procession because it's a weekend and we just been through destructive floods and landslides," he said.
Devotees threw white towels and handkerchiefs to volunteers atop the carriage to wipe to the statue before throwing the cloths back to the crowd. People believe the Black Nazarene icon has healing powers.
More than 1,500 police officers were deployed along the route of the procession that was to last for at last until late Saturday when it reached the church in Quiapo.
The life-size wooden statue of a dark-skinned Jesus Christ was said to have been brought to the country by a Spanish priest from Mexico in 1606.
Hundreds of people go to Quiapo church every Friday to seek its intercession to ease their sufferings or to make their dreams come true.
The Feast of the Black Nazarene is one of the most celebrated religious events in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, with more than 80 per cent of the population adhering to the religion.