Pope prays for victims of tourist bus crash in Italy

Pope Francis expresses his condolences for the 21 victims, and their families, who perished near the Italian city of Venice when their bus crashed through a guardrail.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis sent a telegram of condolences to Patriarch Francesco Moraglia of Venice on Thursday, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

The Pope expressed his sorrow for the bus crash which killed 21 people, all but one of whom were foreign nationals, on Thursday in Mestre, near the northern city of Venice.

He asked the Patriarch to express his "affectionate closeness to the families of those who died so tragically", assuring them of his "special prayer of sufferage".

Pope Francis prayed that God may comfort the families of the victims, and invoked "prompt healing for the injured".

He concluded the telegram by offering his Apostolic Blessing to all those affected by the tragedy.

Tragic accident

On Tuesday night, an all-electric shuttle bus crashed through an overpass guardrail and fence in Mestre, resulting in the death of 21 people, including 2 children.

The driver - the lone Italian national - was among the dead.

The bus plunged 10 metres to the ground from the overpass and landed upside down.

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