Pope mourns 184 killed by floods in India

Pope Francis is praying for relief efforts in southern India, where at least 184 people have died in the monsoons, and another 400,000 are displaced.

The pope’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, noted the pope’s “heartfelt condolences [sent] to the relatives of the deceased and injured.”

Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat have been affected, with the situation in Kerala being the worst, where the death toll has risen to 76 and about 288,000 have been affected. In Karnataka the death toll has reached 40 and some 582,000 have been evacuated to safer grounds.

The pope “prays for the relief efforts underway, and upon the nation, he willingly invokes the divine blessings of strength and perseverance,” Cardinal Parolin wrote.