Bohol Church Bells Ring to Mark Oct. 15, 2013 Quake

At exactly 8:12 am Wednesday, bells in Bohol’s churches rang to mark the anniversary of a tragedy that devastated the province.

Authorities said 8:12 am was the time the strong quake hit the province in October 15 last year.

Aside from the bells, horns and sirens were also sounded for 33 seconds.

Lito Geanan, parish priest of the Immaculate Concepcion Parish in Baclayon Church said earlier that the ringing of bells are set to remind Boholanos that they should remain strong in their efforts to recover from the tragedy.

Tagbilaran Bishop Leonardo Medroso served Holy Mass at the St. Joseph Cathedral.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported at least 222 people were reported killed, while 976 were injured and eight reported missing. The council added that the quake affected 671,103 families or 3,221,248 people in 1,527 barangays in 60 towns in six cities in six provinces of Western and Central Visayas.

Sources: GMA News Online, NDRRMC

Image Credit: whc.unesco.org