Tens of thousands queue to pay their respects to Pope Francis

More than 50,000 people have queued in the last 24 hours to pay their respects to Pope Francis at St Peter's Basilica, BBC News reports, citing the Vatican.

On Thursday morning, the queue to see the Pope, who is in an open coffin, stretched out of St Peter's Square and down the street - the longest the line had become since his body was moved to lie in state on Wednesday.

Entry to the church in Vatican City had been due to stop at midnight local time (22:00 GMT), but opening hours were extended to accommodate large crowds.

The pontiff died on Monday at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke. He had spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year with double pneumonia.

Pope Francis was the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church and held the role for 12 years.

Red-robed cardinals and white-clad priests escorted the Pope's coffin from his residence to the basilica on Wednesday.

Bells tolled during the 40-minute procession, while the crowd broke into applause - a traditional Italian sign of respect.

Swiss Guards, who are responsible for the Pope's safety, escorted his coffin to the church's altar.