Venezuelans bid farewell to Chavez at funeral

CARACAS - With tears and grief, Venezuelans and 33 heads of states bid farewell to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during the state funeral held Friday in Caracas.

"The voice of Chavez was spread all over the world," said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua at the funeral which saw the presence of delegations from 54 countries in the Honor Room of Caracas' Military Academy.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, before entering the room, personally greeted some of the many thousand followers outside the Military Academy in Caracas' Tiuna Fort.

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadineyad could not hold back his tears while greeting the people.

With the sound of the trumpet, the heads of state and the delegations paid tribute to the late president, while the crowd shouted "We are Chavez".

Although the state funeral was held only on Friday, Chavez's coffin will continue to stay for seven days in the room so people can pay their respect to him. Later, his body will be embalmed and put in a glass urn to remain in the Military Historic Museum, in western Caracas.

School classes were suspended and the day was officially declared non-workable due to the farewell events.