Two worshippers died Saturday in the Philippine capital amid a frenzied annual religious procession attended by more than 1 million barefoot people to honour the centuries-old statue of a suffering Jesus Christ, DPA reported.
Nearly 200 other devotees had 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 rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
The other fatality was a 40-year-old man who suffered severe injuries after falling from the Black Nazarene's carriage.
Manila police chief Roberto Rosales said the horde of devotees was expected to swell to more than 3 million as the Black Nazarene icon inches through the sidestreets of Quiapo district in central Manila.
Rosales said more than 1,500 police officers were deployed along the route of the procession that was to last for at least 12 hours until 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.