VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis on Tuesday expressed his condolences to the families of 14 people killed in a cable car crash in northern Italy.

  In a telegram to Bishop Franco Giulio Brambilla of Novara, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin wrote that the pope, "thinking with great emotion of the many lives tragically cut short while immersed in the wonders of creation, assures prayers for those who are gone, those who cry for them and for little Eitan."

  According to the officials, the only two survivors, two children aged nine and five, were transported by a helicopter to a hospital in Turin. The older child did not make it, while the younger child, Eitan, has serious injuries and is in a critical condition.

  Now Pope’s prayers go out to five year old Eitan, the only survivor of the cable crash, who is fighting for his life in the hospital of Turin. Pope Francis announced that he is following the boy's case with trepidation.

  The telegram added that the pontiff prays also for the "local community and the diocese of Novara, and he brings himself closer to the beloved Italian people, shocked by the horrific tragedy. While he implores the Lord for comfort for the suffering, he imparts from his heart the Apostolic blessing to those in pain."

  An investigation has been launched to discover the cause of the horrible accident on the mountain. According to newspaper La Repubblica, a lawyer for the company, Ferrovie del Mottarone, said maintenance and checks were regularly carried out, and the cables were not due to be displaced until 2029.

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