Funeral ceremony of Late King of Morocco Starts
Morocco, Local, 7/25/1999

The funerals of King Hassan II, who died on Friday of a heat attack at 70, started this Sunday at 1.00 pm (gmt and local time).

Around two million mourning Moroccans from Rabat, Casablanca, and other cities flocked from the early hours of this morning to the streets of center Rabat to pay their last respects to their deceased king.

The prayers will be performed after the Asr prayer (16.20 gmt and local time).

Meanwhile, kings, princes, heads of state and government, and officials of foreign countries are arriving in the royal palace to pay a last tribute to the late Moroccan king.

Condolence messages sent to king Mohammed ben Al Hassan-- who was proclaimed at an allegiance oath ceremony few hours after the demise of his father king of Morocco-- have all deplored the demise of a world leader of "special stature" and underlined his valuable contributions to world peace and notably in the middle east.

From the royal palace, the procession will depart towards the Mohammed V mausoleum where the late monarch will be buried, near his father, the late King Mohammed V and his brother Prince Moulay Abdallah.

The procession will cross three kilometers in the avenues of Rabat where two million mourning Moroccans are waiting to greet the late king.

Over one thousand reporters, photographers and cameramen are covering the funeral ceremony that is broadcast live by several tv stations. About 600 special envoys have made the trip to Morocco soon after the sad news was heard on Friday.

Previous Stories:
  Algerian president voices affliction over King Hassan II demise   (7/24/1999)
  King Hassan II: July 9, 1929 - July 23, 1999   (7/24/1999)
  King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan announces demise of King Hassan II   (7/24/1999)
  King Hassan II's death elicits widespread sorrow   (7/24/1999)

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