Pope Leo mourned the deaths of 240 passengers who died in an Air India plane that crashed on its way to London Thursday.
Pope Leo sent a telegram expressing “heartfelt condolences,” stating he was “deeply saddened by the tragedy involving an Air India aircraft near Ahmedabad” and offering prayers that “the mercy of the Almighty” would be extended to the victims, according to Vatican News.
“The Air India plane was carrying 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian. Passengers included 217 adults, 11 children, and 2 infants,” Vatican News reported.
The deadly crash is “the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade,” according to Reuters.
“The sole survivor is a British national of Indian origin and is being treated in a hospital,” the outlet’s report added. “The man told Indian media how he had heard a loud noise shortly after Flight AI171 took off.”
“We are still verifying the number of dead, including those killed in the building where the plane crashed,” a police source told Reuters. “She said the death toll was more than 240, revising down a previous toll of 294 as it included body parts that had been double counted. It was not immediately clear how many of the dead had been on the aircraft or on the ground.”
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