Hundreds gather to pay tribute as former Chinese premier is laid to rest

People use their smartphones to film a bus festooned with flowers believed to be carrying the body of former premier, Li Keqiang (AP Photo)

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people gathered on Thursday near a state funeral home in Beijing as China’s former second-ranking leader, Li Keqiang, was laid to rest, while a steady stream of mourners showed their respects at the ex-premier’s childhood home in central China.

Mr Li, who was China’s top economic official for a decade, died last Friday of a heart attack at age 68.