Argentina mourns as Maradona is laid to rest

 

The legendary Diego Maradona has been buried in a private ceremony amid emotional scenes in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.

Huge crowds turned out to pay their respects, with many weeping, blowing kisses and praying as they filed past his coffin. Only a handful of relatives and close friends attended the final ceremony on Thursday.

Fans inconsolable as their beloved hero is laid to rest

The iconic no 10 died of a heart attack on Wednesday aged 60, and his passing triggered mourning around the world but nowhere was it felt more fiercely than in a country where he was a national hero after his exploits on the pitch.

Maradona’s coffin – draped in Argentina’s national flag and football shirt, bearing his trademark number 10 on the back – was on public display at the presidential palace earlier on Thursday.

Maradona’s coffin was on display at the Presidential Palace

By mid-afternoon queues stretched back for more than a kilometre, and police clashed with mourners as they tried to close off the palace in anticipation of the wake. Authorities were eventually forced to stop public viewing of the coffin to keep the peace.

The motorised funeral cortege drove his body to the Bella Vista cemetery on the outskirts of the city, where he was buried next to the graves of his parents.