The death toll is already approaching 1,000 just hours after the earthquake.
Nearly 1,000 people are already confirmed dead after a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Afghanistan early in the morning of June 22.
Pope Francis expressed his closeness and assured his prayer after the general audience today.
The New York Times noted that a United States Geological Survey report this year found that more than 7,000 people have died in the country from earthquakes over the past decade, which averages to 560 people a year.
