|PIC1|Pope Benedict XVI is to visit the town of L’Aquila, which was hit by a devastating earthquake on March 6.

The Pope is to pray in the in the ruins of a student hostel in which eight students were killed. Almost 300 people died in the earthquake.

According to Italian media, the Pope will visit the town on the May 1 public holiday. He is also expected to visit the mountain village of Onna were 40 out of 250 villagers died.

Around 65,000 people were made homeless by the earthquake, about half of whom are currently housed in tents provided by the government. Others are staying in hotels or with relatives.

The Pope is expected to meet representatives of survivors and rescue workers. He will also go to the damaged Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, where Pope Celestine V was crowned in 1294 and where he is now entombed.

Monsignor Giuseppe Molinari, the Archbishop of L'Aquila, said the Pope would offer "comfort and hope for the future", reports The Times.

Investigations are currently underway as to whether criminal charges should be brought against anyone over the construction and safety standards of the buildings destroyed in the earthquake.