More from funeral mass for late Tanzania president

Tanzania has given a hero's burial to President John Magufuli, who died earlier this month after denying that COVID-19 was a danger to the East African country.

An estimated 3,500 mourners gathered in Chato, Magufuli's hometown in the country's west, many of them unmasked and standing close together.

The Catholic mass was held on a soccer field and presided over by Archbishop Gervas Nyaisonga and more than 20 priests.

Also attending the burial was President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the former vice president who succeeded Magufuli to become Tanzania's first woman president.

Magufuli's coffin was lowered into the ground Friday by military generals followed by a 21-gun salute.

Magufuli was one of Africa’s most prominent COVID-19 skeptics.

Even though his government announced on March 17 that he had died of heart failure, opposition leaders charge that he died of complications from COVID-19.

Magufuli claimed last year that three days of national prayer had eradicated COVID-19 from Tanzania and discouraged residents from wearing face masks and getting vaccines.

Many Tanzanians followed the proceedings on live TV and radio in the country of 60 million where the populist leader was admired by many for his pugnacious style of leadership and action against corruption.