Pope Francis is grieving over the train crash that killed at least 23 people in Italy's southern Puglia region.
"His Holiness Pope Francis expresses his heartfelt and genuine participation in the sorrow striking so many families," Vatican secretary of state Archbishop Pietro Parolin wrote on the Pope's behalf,
according to Catholic News Agency.
"He assures his fervent prayers of repose for those who tragically died and, while invoking the Lord for a swift recovery for the injured, entrusts to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary the many who are affected by dramatic grief, and sends the comfort of his Apostolic Blessing."
The crash occurred Tuesday, when two commuter trains collided head-on while traveling along a single track near the town of Andria, northwest of Bari,
The Associated Press reported.
Railway officials are working to determine the cause of the crash, which killed 23 and injured 43.
"Surely one of the two trains shouldn't have been there. And surely there was an error. We need to determine the cause of the error," said Commander Giancarlo Conticchio.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi also expressed condolences to the families and pledged his commitment to determining the cause of the crash.
"I want to express my condolences to the families and I have ordered, with no holding back, an inquiry to find who is responsible," he said,
according to the BBC. "I think we must have absolute clarity on this. We will not stop until we understand what happened."
Corato Mayor Massimo Mazzilli said the scene was so devastating that it looked like an airplane had crashed there. One policeman described the crash as the "worst scene of my life,"
the BBC explained in an additional report.
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