Thousands pay last respects to Chavez

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have been queuing to pay their last respects to President Hugo Chavez, who died on Tuesday after 14 years in power.

The BBC reports that Chavez body is lying in state at the military academy in the capital Caracas before his state funeral on Friday.

Chavez died at the age of 58 after a two-year battle with cancer.

Thousands queued through the night to file silently past the open coffin, where Chavez is lying in an olive-green military uniform and his signature red beret.

Chavez family and close advisers, as well as the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay, paid their respects on Wednesday.

Other world leaders - including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - are flying into Caracas for his funeral.

Several Latin American nations are holding periods of national mourning for the left-wing leader, who was a strong advocate of regional unity.

Chavez's supporters are pressing for a change to the constitution so he can be buried in Venezuela's national Pantheon alongside Simon Bolivar, the "Liberator" who led Venezuela and other South American countries to independence from colonial rule.



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