Hundreds of Thousands in Brazil Say a Final Farewell to Senna
With a shower of rose petals and cries of “Senna, champion,” Brazilians on Thursday flocked to say farewell to beloved racing hero Ayrton Senna.
Hundreds of thousands of fans took to the streets to accompany the final ride of the three-time Formula One champion who rivaled Pele as a national idol.
As an air force acrobatic team traced a heart and an “S” in the sky, Senna’s body was lowered into a grave at the Morumbi cemetery with honors of a chief of state.
“I’ve cried for three days. He was everything to me,” said Zenitte Silva Barros, a businesswoman. “He brought great honor to us all.”
Senna, 34, died of multiple head injuries when his Williams-Renault slammed into a concrete wall at nearly 180 m.p.h. in Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Italy.
His death sent this nation of 155 million into mourning.
Some 250,000 visitors--nearly twice the expected number--filed through the state legislature where Senna’s body lay since its arrival from Paris on Wednesday.
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