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Thousands of people gathered in the home village of Chechnya's assassinated president on Monday for funeral rites.

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Security was tight for the funeral after Sunday's blast in the capital Grozny. Three days of mourning have been declared for the victims.

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Akhmad Kadyrov, 53, who had once led Chechen separatists, died some six months after winning Moscow-backed presidential elections. But he had also accumulated many enemies.

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Mourners marched through the streets chanting prayers. They were joined by political and military leaders from Chechnya and neighbouring republics.

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Mr Kadyrov's death deprives Russia President Vladimir Putin of his main ally in Chechnya. It is also the most significant blow dealt by Chechen rebels in almost five years of fighting.

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A number of other people, including other two top officials, were killed in the blast.

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Mr Kadyrov's son Ramzan, who helped carry his father's bier, has now been promoted to be deputy head of the pro-Russian government.

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Just before the explosion, President Kadyrov had addressed crowds at Grozny's Dinamo stadium.

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It emerged a bomb had been planted in a concrete part of the stadium, beneath the VIP stand.