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| State funeral under way in Poland | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The state funeral of President Lech Kaczynski and his wife has begun, with thousands of people gathered in the city of Krakow to pay respects. | |
| After a funeral Mass, the couple will be buried in Wawel Cathedral, resting place of kings and national heroes. | |
| Ninety-six people died eight days ago when their plane crashed in fog as they flew to attend a ceremony in Russia. | Ninety-six people died eight days ago when their plane crashed in fog as they flew to attend a ceremony in Russia. |
| Many world leaders cannot attend the funeral because flights have been grounded by Icelandic volcanic ash. | Many world leaders cannot attend the funeral because flights have been grounded by Icelandic volcanic ash. |
| However, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev flew to Krakow despite air travel restrictions. | |
| 21-gun salute | 21-gun salute |
| The state funeral began at 1400 local time (1200 GMT) with a Mass at Krakow's St Mary's Basilica. | |
| AT THE SCENE Oana Lungescu, Krakow | AT THE SCENE Oana Lungescu, Krakow |
| Bells tolled in bright spring sunshine, as the two hearses carrying the coffins of Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria Kaczynska slowly drove to the gothic Basilica of Saint Mary, where the funeral Mass will take place. | Bells tolled in bright spring sunshine, as the two hearses carrying the coffins of Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria Kaczynska slowly drove to the gothic Basilica of Saint Mary, where the funeral Mass will take place. |
| Along the way, crowds threw flowers and waved Polish flags. People have come in buses, trains and cars from across the country, some camping since one o'clock in the morning in Krakow's medieval market square. Drawing strength from tragic past | Along the way, crowds threw flowers and waved Polish flags. People have come in buses, trains and cars from across the country, some camping since one o'clock in the morning in Krakow's medieval market square. Drawing strength from tragic past |
| The coffins of the first couple had arrived from Warsaw on a military transport plane that flew below the volcanic ash cloud. | The coffins of the first couple had arrived from Warsaw on a military transport plane that flew below the volcanic ash cloud. |
| Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Krakow to watch hearses transfer the coffins to the basilica. | Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Krakow to watch hearses transfer the coffins to the basilica. |
| After the funeral Mass, there will be a procession through Krakow and on to the walled castle and cathedral at Wawel for a 21-gun salute and the burial. | After the funeral Mass, there will be a procession through Krakow and on to the walled castle and cathedral at Wawel for a 21-gun salute and the burial. |
| The Krakow ceremonies are for family, friends and international dignitaries but are being shown on screens across the city. | |
| Among those unable to attend the funeral are US President Barack Obama, the UK's Prince of Wales, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. | Among those unable to attend the funeral are US President Barack Obama, the UK's Prince of Wales, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. |
| Those mourners on the streets of Krakow said it was right for the funeral to take place on Sunday, despite the cancellation of so many world leaders. | Those mourners on the streets of Krakow said it was right for the funeral to take place on Sunday, despite the cancellation of so many world leaders. |
| POLISH FUNERAL SERVICE Not attending: US President Barack Obama; French President Nicolas Sarkozy; German Chancellor Angela Merkel; the UK's Prince of Wales and Foreign Secretary David Miliband; Spanish King Juan Carlos and PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero; Turkish President Abdullah Gul; Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt; Finnish President Tarja Halonen; South Korean PM Chung Un-chan; Canadian PM Stephen Harper; Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar GrimssonAttending: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev; Czech President Vaclav Klaus; Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic; Slovenian President Danilo Turk; Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych; Latvian President Valdis Zatlers; Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Andrus Ansip; Romanian President Traian Basescu; Hungarian President Lazslo Solyom and PM Gordon Bajnai | POLISH FUNERAL SERVICE Not attending: US President Barack Obama; French President Nicolas Sarkozy; German Chancellor Angela Merkel; the UK's Prince of Wales and Foreign Secretary David Miliband; Spanish King Juan Carlos and PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero; Turkish President Abdullah Gul; Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt; Finnish President Tarja Halonen; South Korean PM Chung Un-chan; Canadian PM Stephen Harper; Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar GrimssonAttending: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev; Czech President Vaclav Klaus; Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic; Slovenian President Danilo Turk; Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych; Latvian President Valdis Zatlers; Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Andrus Ansip; Romanian President Traian Basescu; Hungarian President Lazslo Solyom and PM Gordon Bajnai |
| One mourner, Bartek Kargol, told Associated Press: "I wouldn't move the funeral. This event is for our president." | One mourner, Bartek Kargol, told Associated Press: "I wouldn't move the funeral. This event is for our president." |
| Maria Kurowska, mayor of the town of Jaslo, told Agence France-Presse news agency that her town had paid for three coaches to bring mourners to Krakow. | Maria Kurowska, mayor of the town of Jaslo, told Agence France-Presse news agency that her town had paid for three coaches to bring mourners to Krakow. |
| "It's an exceptional moment. Poles have to be here," she said. | "It's an exceptional moment. Poles have to be here," she said. |
| Earlier, the coffins had been driven through Warsaw on a route that took in key locations of Lech Kaczynski's life, such as city hall, where he served as the capital's mayor. | Earlier, the coffins had been driven through Warsaw on a route that took in key locations of Lech Kaczynski's life, such as city hall, where he served as the capital's mayor. |
| On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people attended an open-air memorial service in the centre of Warsaw. | On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people attended an open-air memorial service in the centre of Warsaw. |
| The couple's final resting place will be in a sarcophagus in the royal crypt in Wawel cathedral, next to Poland's revered independence leader, Jozef Pilsudski. | The couple's final resting place will be in a sarcophagus in the royal crypt in Wawel cathedral, next to Poland's revered independence leader, Jozef Pilsudski. |
| The decision to entomb a leader seen as divisive by many during his lifetime in such a hallowed place has drawn some protests. | The decision to entomb a leader seen as divisive by many during his lifetime in such a hallowed place has drawn some protests. |
| The Polish government airliner crashed in western Russia on 10 April. | The Polish government airliner crashed in western Russia on 10 April. |
| Investigators believe pilot error caused the plane to hit tree-tops in heavy fog in the Smolensk region, where the Polish delegation had meant to attend a memorial for about 22,000 Poles massacred by Stalin's secret police at Katyn in World War II. | Investigators believe pilot error caused the plane to hit tree-tops in heavy fog in the Smolensk region, where the Polish delegation had meant to attend a memorial for about 22,000 Poles massacred by Stalin's secret police at Katyn in World War II. |
| Key Polish political and military leaders were killed in the air crash, including the heads of all three branches of Poland's military. | Key Polish political and military leaders were killed in the air crash, including the heads of all three branches of Poland's military. |
| Are you in Krakow? Will you be watching the state funeral? Tell us your experiences using the form below. | Are you in Krakow? Will you be watching the state funeral? Tell us your experiences using the form below. |
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