Pope Francis mourns deaths from South Korean plane crash

Pope Francis expressed his condolences on Sunday to those who lost loved ones in the crash of a Boeing 737-800 plane during landing at the international airport of the city of Muan, in South Korea.

On Sunday noon, after praying the Angelus from the window of his study, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, before more than 30,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Francis said that “my thoughts are directed to the numerous families of South Korea who are today in mourning after the dramatic plane crash.”

“I join in the prayer for the survivors and the dead,” added the supreme pontiff, according to a statement from the Holy See’s press office.

A report on the Bishop of Rome’s statements about the tragedy, which occurred a few hours ago, was published on the digital site of the Vatican New and says that the Pope was dismayed by the deaths of at least 177 people after the fire of the aircraft, which belonged to Jeju Airlines.

On the flight, from Bangkok, Thailand, 181 people were traveling, including 175 passengers and six crew members, and only two of them have been rescued alive so far, according to a report from the South Korean news agency Yonhap.