Pope offers prayers for victims of school fire in India

Published: 2004-07-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II offered prayers for the victims of a fire at a school in southern India that killed at least 84 children. Told of the tragedy while vacationing in the Alps, Pope John Paul II "was particularly struck and prayed" for the children, spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls told Vatican Radio. The spokesman said the pope was informed about the fire and offered prayers for all the victims. Navarro-Valls said that although Pope John Paul was on vacation he keeps abreast of the news. The death toll from the July 16 fire at the Lord Krishna Middle School in Kumbakonam, India, could rise since 15 students were in critical condition, The Associated Press reported. The fire spread through the thatched-roof school, killing 84 children and injuring more than 100 after their teachers fled. Police arrested the principal of the school for negligence, AP reported.

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