Earlier today, Pope Benedict XVI sent a message expressing his condolences and prayers to Bishop Manfred Scheuer of Innsbruck, Austria following a tragic cable car accident at a ski resort in that region which killed nine people Monday--many of them children.

The message was sent by way of Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano and assured the Holy Father's prayers as well as wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.

An overhead helicopter accidentally dropped a concrete slab on the cable car, which was headed up a mountain in the ski resort of Soelden in Austria's Tyrol region. Several people were injured; some still in critical condition. Austrian and German authorities are still trying to determine whether the accident was mechanical or human error.