Pope Francis Prays for Flood Victims in India, Bangladesh and Nepal

Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican AP

Pope Francis offered prayers on Aug. 27 for the victims of devastating floods in northern India, Bangladesh, and Nepal that have already claimed hundreds of lives over the past several days.

During a traditional Sunday Angelus prayer, the pontiff has expressed paid tribute to the victims.

"I express my closeness to all the [affected] populations, and pray for the victims and for all who suffer because of this calamity," said Pope Francis, according to Vatican Radio.

The floods from the annual monsoon rains have killed over 1200 lives and disrupted more than 24 million lives. Rescue and relief efforts are in operation, with national and international aid agencies reporting thousands of villages destroyed.

People in distant and cut off villages have been without food and clean water for many days. Christian bodies have working their best to reach out to such areas to offer aid.

Caritas India, a charity organization that comes under the umbrella of the Catholic Church, has already stepped forward to aid the victims by offering 50 million rupees (US$ 780,000) to provide emergency assistance.