Pope urges help, prayers for Kerala

Vatican City, Aug 19 (IANS) Pope Francis on Sunday called for solidarity and help from the international community for people affected by flooding in the southern Indian state of Kerala which has caused widespread death and destruction.

The Pope said during the weekly Sunday prayers on St. Peter's Square that residents of Kerala had been hit by intense rains in recent days, which had led to flooding, landslides and an enormous loss of life, reports Efe news.

He said the Catholic Church was working to bring help to the people of Kerala and urged those gathered in the Vatican square to pray for those who had died and all the people affected by the calamity.

Francis urged the international community to stand in solidarity with India and to offer concrete help to those affected by the floods.

About 190 people have died and over 600,000 have been rescued and taken to emergency accommodation in recent days owing to torrential rains battering the state.