Big crowds are gathering for a five‑day funeral ceremony for Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died last October aged 88.
The monarch will be cremated in Bangkok on Thursday, in a royal pyre representing heaven.
Preparations ‑ including the building of a vast cremation complex near the Grand Palace ‑ took almost a year.
The king was seen as a stabilising figure in a country hit by cycles of political turmoil and multiple coups.
The elaborate Buddhist funeral ceremony is expected to draw as many as 250,000 people from across Thailand.
The cremation will be held today.
Source: BBC
