Hugo Chavez death: Thousands march with coffin

CARACAS. March 7. KAZINFORM Thousands of people have come out onto the streets of Venezuela's capital Caracas to pay tribute to President Hugo Chavez, who died on Tuesday.

A procession accompanying Mr Chavez's coffin took more than six hours to reach the Military Academy where he will lie in state until Friday.

The government has announced seven days of mourning for the president.

Mr Chavez, a controversial figure and staunch critic of the US, was seriously ill with cancer for more than a year.

He died aged 58 on Tuesday after 14 years as president.

A self-proclaimed revolutionary, he inspired a left-wing revival across Latin America.

Latin American leaders are in Caracas to pay their respects - among them President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina, Jose Mujica of Uruguay and Evo Morales of Bolivia.

Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, Cuba and the Caribbean island of Dominica have declared periods of official mourning.

Another Chavez ally, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, also announced a day of mourning, describing him as a "martyr".

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