Thailand's King, world's longest-reigning monarch, dies

2016-10-13 1

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej has died aged 88, ending seven decades on the throne.
News from the royal palace on Sunday that the revered king, who suffered for years from numerous ailments, was in unstable condition triggered outpourings of grief and days of anxious vigils outside the hospital, where he had been placed on a ventilator.
Bhumibol was the world's longest-reigning monarch.
He became king in 1946 at the age of 19.
In a country beset by political divisions, Bhumibol was seen as a semi-divine figure who embodied the unity and continuity of the nation.