Church marks 50th anniversary of San Juan plane crash
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Friday marked the 50th anniversary of the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle plane crash.
On Oct. 23, 1970, a small plane crashed into the shrine, causing a massive fire that destroyed the building.
"The faith of the people was not destroyed," said Father Jorge Gomez. "The building, the material building, was destroyed."
When the plane struck the shrine, 50 priests were inside celebrating mass.
"Two priests ran to rescue the statue of our lady of San Juan and the blessed sacrament," Gomez said.
About 200 children were in the school cafeteria. All escaped unharmed.
"The people back then saw it as a miracle and their faith just got stronger," Gomez said.
Ten years after the crash, the shrine was rebuilt.
Watch the video for the full story.
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