Italy's 'heroes' buried
2003-11-18 11:02
Rome - Hundreds of thousands of Italians lined the streets of Rome to pay their last respects on Tuesday to the 19 victims of the Nasiriyah bombing as their coffins wrapped in the national flag were borne through the city in a slow-moving cortege of military trucks.
Horse guards escorting the trucks clattered along the cobblestoned Fori Imperiali as thousands who lined the street leading to the ancient Colosseum clapped, wept or saluted, some shouting "grazie ragazzi" (thanks, boys).
The 6km journey from the Victor Emmanuel monument, where the bodies lay in state on Monday, to the basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls, venue for the funeral ceremony, was expected to take two hours.
Tens of thousands of people had gathered in the square around the basilica since early morning.
Six giant video screens have been erected to allow them to follow the funeral ceremony inside the basilica, conducted by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the head of Italy's episcopal conference.
Rush hour traffic came to a standstill to watch as the cortege, each green truck carrying two tricolour-wrapped coffins, rolled past.
The Italian tricolour and the rainbow-coloured peace flag flew from balconies along the route.
The killings have shocked a country which remains divided over Italy's military involvement in Iraq. Nine Iraqis were also killed in the blast in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.
The country's main labour unions called for a 10-minute work stoppage in homage to the victims during the funeral, to be aired live on national television.
Schoolchildren were asked to observe a minute's silence in the nation's classrooms at 11:30.
The military estimated that more than 300 000 people had filed past the coffins of the 12 Carabinieri officers, their five military colleagues and two civilians on Monday at the Victor Emmanuel monument, that also houses Italy's tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The steps of the landmark white monument was carpeted with flowers left by wellwishers when the cortege moved slowly away at 09:00.
- AFP