THE US: Thousands of Americans filed silently past Ronald Reagan's body at the US Capitol yesterday in an emotional outpouring of respect and affection for the 40th president of the United States.
A steady stream of viewers - at least 2,000 an hour - walked slowly past the flag-draped coffin in the Capitol Rotunda from Wednesday evening into yesterday morning. Some waited up to seven hours in a line that snaked around the building on a hot, humid night. "It's the first and only time I'm ever going to be able to be in his presence," Mr Jeff Riley (36), who said Mr Reagan inspired him to join the Marine Corps, said on CNN.
Mr Reagan's coffin was to lie in state until this morning, when a funeral service will take place at the National Cathedral. Around 150,000 people were expected to file past the casket during those 34 hours. After the funeral, Mr Reagan's body will be flown back to California for a burial on the grounds of his presidential library just north of Los Angeles.
Among those travelling to the funeral included former Soviet leader Mr Mikhail Gorbachev, and former British prime minister Baroness Thatcher.