BANGKOK, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Mourners paying respects to the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Royal Urn has totaled 12,739,531 in the past 337 days, the Bureau of the Royal Household announced on Friday.
The bureau said a total of 110,889 mourners paid their last respects to the late King in the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall of the Grand Palace in Bangkok on Thursday, the final day for public viewing of the Royal Urn.
According to the bureau, donations received as a form of making merit for the late King have reached over 889 million baht (26 million U.S. dollars).
The Grand Palace has been open to mourners since Oct. 29 last year. With the last visitor allowed to enter the hall at 2:18 a.m. on Friday. The palace was then closed in preparation for the royal cremation ceremonies.
Mourners dressed in black from all parts of the country flooded in the palace to see off their beloved late King. Rainy October sees thousands caught in the shower lining the streets of Bangkok's historic area near the Chao Phraya River to enter the palace. The queue stretched for almost 3 km.
The late monarch's funeral will be held from Oct. 25 to Oct. 29, with the cremation taking place on Oct. 26. The Thai government expects 250,000 mourners to attend the royal cremation.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away on Oct. 13 last year, ending seven decades on the throne during which he became a unifying father figure in a country that has weathered several coups, political unrests and a region-wide financial crisis.
