State funeral for Pakistan's German-born 'Mother Teresa'

Pakistan laid to rest German-born Catholic nun Ruth Pfau in a state funeral, where she was honoured for devoting her life to eradicating leprosy in the country in a life that mirrored Mother Teresa.

Pfau had been living in Pakistan since 1960 and her leprosy centre in Karachi was Pakistan's first hospital dedicated to treating the disease.

Pakistani soldiers carried her flag-draped coffin to a state funeral where mourners paid their respects at the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre, before an official service at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

She was buried in Karachi's Christian cemetery in a ceremony attended by President Mamnoon Hussain, the chief minister of the Sindh province, and top officials in Pakistan's armed forces.

"It is a big loss to this hospital and to humanity. It is very hard to find a person like her in today's era," Yasmeen Morris, a staff member at the centre, told Reuters.

"She led a very simple life and she loved humanity."

Widely known as Pakistan's Mother Teresa, Pfau died last week in Karachi at the age of 87. She will be buried in her adopted country.

After setting up Pakistan's first hospital to treat leprosy she later opened up treatment centres across the country.

In 1996 the World Health Organisation declared that the disease had been controlled in Pakistan.

Last year, the number of patients under treatment for leprosy was 531, compared to over 19,000 in the 1980s.