Vatican City, 21 March 2016 – Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of the Holy Father to Bishop Enrique Benavent y Vidal of Tortosa, Spain following the traffic accident early Sunday morning, near the city of Tarragona, which caused the death of thirteen university students travelling by bus from Valencia, and left another 32 young people with injuries of varying severity.

"Pope Francis, profoundly saddened by the painful news of the tragic traffic accident that occurred near Freginals, and which caused the death of a group of young students, offers his prayers for the eternal repose of the deceased, and at the same time expresses his hope that the injured may make a swift recovery".

He asks the bishop to convey the Pope's heartfelt condolences, along with his expressions of closeness and consolation, to the families who mourn their irreparable loss, and asks the Lord to bestow upon them the gifts of spiritual serenity and Christian hope, and imparts the comfort of his apostolic blessing.