Pope Francis today paid tribute to the victims of a devastating earthquake in China and called on his followers to pray for the Middle East.
"I express my closeness to the people of the Chinese province of Yunnan who were hit by an earthquake last Sunday that caused many casualties," he said at the Vatican in his first general audience since June.
"I pray for the deceased and their families, for the injured and for those who have lost their homes," he added.
The death toll from the 6.1 magnitude earthquake in a remote region of China stands at least 589, authorities said today.
China's ministry of civil affairs said that 2,401 people were injured and 230,000 had been evacuated, while more than 80,000 homes had fully or partially collapsed.
The pope also welcomed pilgrims from the Middle East.
"We pray so hard for peace in the Middle East," he said, urging those present to do the same.
The general audience -- the pope's first since his summer break -- was held in the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall rather than its usual place in St Peter's Square due to the heat outside.
