The Pope has written to Maltese bishop Robert Camilleri, who is based in Comayagua, Honduras, expressing deep sorrow for the victims of the fire that devastated the town's prison on February 15, causing hundreds of deaths and leaving dozens injured.

In his message, signed by the Secretary of the Vatican State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope raises his "fervent prayers" for the more than 350 deaths, expressing his "spiritual closeness" to family members hoping for a "quick and full recovery of the wounded."

The charred bodies of inmates trapped in their cells by the inferno were found by rescue teams later. Survivors described wrenching scenes as prisoners pleaded for help as they were engulfed by choking smoke and flames, some unable to flee because they were still shackled to the bars of their cells.

Some of the inmates escaped by jumping from the prison rooftop, and there were reports that some had fled the crowded facility and were on the loose.

Those who died were killed mostly by smoke inhalation.