Pope Francis urges prayers for victims of S. Korean ferry disaster

(Vatican Radio) This Holy Saturday, Pope Francis has asked people worldwide to join him in prayer for the victims of the tragic ferry disaster in South Korea.

Using the global twitter network, the Holy Father tweeted: “Please join me in praying for the victims of the ferry disaster in Korea and their families”.

South Korea has been plunged into mourning following the sinking of a shuttle ferry the Sewol earlier this week carrying 476 passengers on board. Many of them – over 300 - were high school students on a school trip to the holiday island of Jeju.

Early reports said that the ferry turned sharply and listed, perhaps due to a shift in the cargo it was carrying and crew members said the captain, who was not initially on the bridge, had tried to right the ship but failed.

Some 500 relatives of the 272 people still missing have been camped out in a nearby gymnasium in the port city of Jindo day and night since Wednesday. The official number of those missing was revised up from an earlier estimate of 269.

Pope Francis is due to visit South Korea this August for Asian Youth Day, August 14-18, and the beatification of the 124 new Korean Martyrs.