Pope Francis prayed for the victims of the devastating fires in Chile, which have already caused more than 50 deaths

He Pope francesco asked this Sunday to pray “for dead and injured in devastating fires in Chile”, after the Sunday Angelus in St. Peter’s Square.

Looking out of the window of the apostolic palace to recite the Angelus, the supreme pontiff did not forget the situation in the central region of Valparaíso, where the flames advance relentlessly, and already more than 50 people died. There he asked the faithful to pray for the wounded and dead.

Right now, Chile is battling the deadliest wave of fires in its recent history and its largest emergency since the 2010 earthquake. The uncontrolled fire has largely affected the Valparaíso region, 100 kilometers east of Santiago and President Gabriel Boric decreed a state of emergency to facilitate the work.

In the latest official report, the Chilean authorities denounced the devastating fires more than 43,000 hectares and warned that the death toll could be “much higher” as the hours passed. The mayor of Viña del Mar, one of the cities most affected by the fire, said a few minutes earlier that the municipality manages a temporary register of 372 people missingwhich does not imply that they are all dead but gives an idea of ​​the extent of the tragedy.

Meanwhile, in the Sunday message, the Pope also invited us to remember the world day of prayer against human trafficking which will be held next Thursday.

“Today many brothers and sisters are deceived with false promises and then subjected to abuse and exploitation”, denounced Jorge Bergoglio.

“Let us all unite to fight against the dramatic global phenomenon of human trafficking,” he urged.

With information from agencies