Pope Francis Prays for Families of Victims of South Korea's plane crash

Pope Francis expressed condolences on Sunday to the families of victims of a plane crash in South Korea in which at least 177 people died.

"My thoughts are with the many families in South Korea who are mourning today following the dramatic plane crash. I join in prayer for the survivors and the dead," Pope Francis said at the end of the Angelus prayer.

The passenger plane burst into flames on Sunday after it skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport and slammed into a concrete fence when its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy.

Most of the 181 people on board died in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters.

The pontiff also prayed for the families suffering from war in Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, Sudan and North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Large crowds of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square to see the pope deliver his Sunday prayer from his balcony.

Last Sunday he decided not to appear at the window of his studio overlooking the square because of a persistent cold and as a precaution ahead of a busy Christmas period.