File photo: Pope Francis greeting journalists' aboard papal flight. (Photo: Vatican News).

Pope Francis prays for migrants who have died while seeking to cross the Sahara Desert and Mediterranean Sea, as he greets journalists aboard the papal plane heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Vatican News reports.

While air-bound over the Sahara, at the start of his 40th Apostolic Journey abroad, the Pontiff asked for a prayer for people who have died trying to cross the desert and the Mediterranean Sea.

Vatican News understands that more than 70 journalists from 12 countries across the world, are aboard the flight taking the Pope to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

While expressing gratitude on being able to visit Kinshasa and Juba, Francis, 86, expressed disappointment for not being able to visit the Congolese city of Goma due to violence in the area.

Keeping with tradition, the Pope exchanged a brief greeting with each journalist, as they came up to greet him aboard the flight.