Pope sends message to relatives of victims of plane crash in Colombia

[G.O.G]

Pope Francis was "deeply distressed" by the plane crash that left 71 dead in Colombia on Monday, according to a statement issued by the Vatican on Wednesday.

"The holy father, deeply distressed to know the painful news of the serious air crash that has caused numerous victims, raises prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased," said the statement issued by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, Agreement with AFP.

The crashed plane moved the Brazilian team Chapecoense to play the final of the Copa Sudamericana before the Colombian Atletico Nacional.

The flight covered the route between Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) and Rionegro (Colombia) with 77 people on board, of whom six survived. The plane crashed on Monday night in Cerro Gordo, a remote area near Medellin.

"Pope Francis asks the Lord to pour out on the" relatives of the victims "the gifts of spiritual serenity and Christian hope, and impart the apostolic blessing from the heart.