Pope calls on help for flood victims in Asia

CASTEL GANDOLFO (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called on the international community to assist victims of catastrophic flooding in southeast Asia.

"In recent days, serious flooding has devastated several southeast Asian countries, causing numerous victims and leaving millions homeless," the pope said at the conclusion of his Angelus prayer at his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.

He called for "expedient and generous aid from the international community" for those affected by the floods.

Benoit XVI also "urged ecclesiastical communities to pray for the victims and to provide support for solidarity operations that have been put in place to ease the suffering of so many people".

Muddy waters receded in Bangladesh and other parts of South Asia on Saturday but disease and hunger stalked millions of people.

The floods have caused at least 2,200 deaths in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, the United Nations has said.