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Nelson Mandela lies in state; throngs expected to say farewell
Nelson Mandela lies in state; throngs expected to say farewell
Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- The hearse carrying the flag-draped coffin of former South African leader Nelson Mandela arrived in Pretoria Wednesday morning, where thousands are expected to pay their respects in the coming days.
The anti-apartheid icon, who died last week at 95, will lie in state through Friday in the government's seat.
A military honor guard stood at attention and a hushed crowd looked on as his remains were ushered from the hearse inside. Police helicopters hovered overhead. A South African flag hung outside at half staff.
His casket was placed under a dome in Pretoria's Union Buildings, very close to the place where he took the oath of office when he became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994.
The first day will be reserved for dignitaries. The public will be allowed to file past his casket on Thursday and Friday. Viewing hours are expected to be limited to daylight. Long lines will likely form from the very early hours of the morning.
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Full article here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/11/world/africa/nelson-mandela-death/index.html
Mandela's body arrives for viewing in South Africa
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) -- The casket of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, draped in the multi-colored South African flag, arrived Wednesday at the seat of power in the country's capital for public viewing.
Motorcycle-riding police officers escorted the casket from 1 Military Hospital outside of Pretoria to the Union Buildings, once a symbol of the white-dominated government in the country. When Mandela took office, he used the building as his offices and the presidency is still located there.
Some residents of Pretoria lined the streets to watch the procession go by. They sang old struggle songs and called out their farewells to Mandela, who died Dec. 5 at the age of 95.
Soldiers in formal uniforms carried Mandela's casket into the Union Buildings to a special viewing center built inside the building's amphitheater, which President Jacob Zuma named after Mandela by decree Tuesday.
-snip-
Full article here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_MANDELA_MOURNING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-12-11-02-07-11
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) -- The casket of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, draped in the multi-colored South African flag, arrived Wednesday at the seat of power in the country's capital for public viewing.
Motorcycle-riding police officers escorted the casket from 1 Military Hospital outside of Pretoria to the Union Buildings, once a symbol of the white-dominated government in the country. When Mandela took office, he used the building as his offices and the presidency is still located there.
Some residents of Pretoria lined the streets to watch the procession go by. They sang old struggle songs and called out their farewells to Mandela, who died Dec. 5 at the age of 95.
Soldiers in formal uniforms carried Mandela's casket into the Union Buildings to a special viewing center built inside the building's amphitheater, which President Jacob Zuma named after Mandela by decree Tuesday.
-snip-
Full article here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_MANDELA_MOURNING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-12-11-02-07-11