Throngs of Venezuelans crowded the streets of Caracas on Wednesday, many clad in red, waving flags and weeping in a final goodbye to late president Hugo Chavez as he was taken through the capital. Some watched from apartment windows, others climbed fences to get a better view and many held up smartphones to take pictures of the flag-draped coffin adorned with flowers. Many shouted "I love you Chavez!" "Viva my comandante! We love you Chavez," exclaimed Hector Carrasquel, 40, who came from Tejeria, west of Caracas, for the procession.

Latin America mourned the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday as the United States expressed hope his passing would lead to improved relations with the oil-rich state. Chavez, 58, died after a long battle with cancer, plunging Venezuela into an uncertain future after 14 years of rule by the charismatic former paratrooper, a standard-bearer of Latin America's "anti-imperialist" left.

Duty Editor: Sarah Stewart Tel: +852 2829 6211 -- TOP STORIES -- + Venezuela's Chavez dies, early elections loom + Bolshoi soloist among confessions on acid attack + Dow Jones Index spikes to all-time record high Venezuela-politics-Chavez,3rdlead CARACAS Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez loses his battle with cancer, his death silencing the leading voice of the Latin American left and putting the oil-rich nation on a path to early elections.

Cuba declared three days of national mourning after the death on Tuesday of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the Communist nation's closest regional ally and main economic support. In an official statement read out on state television, the Cuban government said Chavez had "stood by Fidel (Castro) like a true son," during Chavez's 14 years in power. Cuba's revolutionary icon, now 86, stepped aside as president in 2006 during a health crisis of his own.