Bush’s casket leaves Capitol, heads to cathedral for funeral

WASHINGTON — Former US president George H.W. Bush’s casket has left the US Capitol for a state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.

Family, friends, congressional leaders and others gather with military brass on the steps of the Capitol for the send-off Wednesday as cannons echo a salute and a military band plays “Hail to the Chief.”

Bush’s flag-draped coffin is carried to a waiting hearse for the procession to the cathedral. His son former president George W. Bush puts his hand over heart at the plaza.

The 41st president had been lying in state since late Monday in the Capitol Rotunda, an honor reserved for few. Hundreds of visitors, including many former White House officials, arrived to pay tribute. Bush died last week in Houston at age 94.

— AP