(6 Sep 1997) English/Nat

Mother Teresa, the Roman Catholic nun who devoted her life to helping the world's poor, died on Friday, aged 87.

Her death comes less than a week after the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, also remembered as a woman of great compassion.

Hundreds of mourners have gathered outside Mother Teresa's home in Calcutta, devastated at the news of her passing.

But there were angry and emotional scenes there on Saturday morning after nuns blocked access to the Chapel where Teresa's body lies.

Mother Teresa's body in the chapel of the Missionaries of Charity order.

Her body lies on a bed of ice .

Teresa's hands are clasped and she wears the simple habit of her order - a blue- trimmed white sari and long-sleeved blouse.

Young nuns who filed past touched and kissed her feet in a traditional Indian gesture of respect.

Mother Teresa, who won a Nobel peace prize for her life-saving work around the world, died in Calcutta, the Indian city where her charitable works began.

Her heart gave out on Friday evening, at home in her convent.

For more than 40 years, Mother Teresa and the order she founded, the Missionaries of Charity, comforted the destitute and cared for the sick and insane.

The 87-year-old nun was adored by millions as a living saint for caring for the human castoffs the world wanted to forget.

Mourners paid their respects as she lay on her deathbed - many greatly saddened by the news of her passing.

Outside her home at her Missionaries of Charity headquarters in a poor central Calcutta neighborhood, hundreds of people were gathered in the rain as news of the death of Calcutta's most famous personality spread.

Many of them were weeping.

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"I am very distressed and sorry to hear of the death of Mother Teresa. She was a very great person. I'm very sorry."
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Those waiting to pay their respects recited prayers as they stood outside.

Later in the morning, nuns shut the gates at the Charity as the crowds grew large, and halted public access to the chapel.

This caused anger and upset in a crowd wanting to pay their last respects to Mother Teresa - nuns and police tried to calm the emotional mourners.

The funeral of Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be held on Wednesday - the 51st anniversary of the day Mother Teresa received what she said was a calling from Jesus.

A site has been chosen in the Missionaries of Charity's headquarters and nuns are consulting the Vatican before finalising arrangements.

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