Quiapo area crowd for Black Nazarene reaches 2.5M at 3 p.m.

The number of people around the Quiapo Church has reached 2.5 million while the image of the Black Nazarene continued its procession at 3 p.m., the Manila Police District has said.

Police said this figure was an increase of a million people within the vicinity of the Church and its nearby areas and roads in one hour.

Authorities said the crowd situation in the area remained largely peaceful, though the day was not without its share of people who had difficulty of breathing and went dizzy.

The police station also saw people coming in and out steadily, looking for loved ones and companions who had been separated from them amidst the clogged streets.

Mobility became difficult during the hourly mass, when the crowd stood still, and immediately after, when it moved to exit the area while another throng looked to enter.

The carriage of the image of the Black Nazarene was moving along Carlos Palanca Street as of 3:31 p.m., according to an update from the Quiapo Church's official Facebook page. —NB, GMA News