Pope appeals for aid to help victims of flooding in Ecuador

Published: 2008-02-25

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI appealed for international assistance to Ecuador, where flooding has left 16 dead and forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes. The coastal flooding came as an eruption of the Tungurahua volcano forced residents of two interior Ecuadorean villages to evacuate, officials said. The pope, speaking at his noon blessing Feb. 24, offered prayers for people affected by both calamities. "I express my personal closeness to those experiencing anguish and tribulation, and I invite everyone to show fraternal solidarity, so that the peoples of those areas can return as soon as possible to the normality of daily life," he said. Ecuadorean government officials said the flooding had affected some 280,000 people and caused at least $200 million in damage to the nation's economy. Nearly 300,000 acres of crops have been destroyed, leading officials to warn of possible food shortages. About 20,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.

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