Hillsborough Anniversary: Thousands Gather For Anfield Memorial Service (PICTURES) (VIDEO)

Thousands Gather For Hillsborough Memorial Service At Anfield (PICTURES)

Tens of thousands gathered for a memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

Ordinary fans joined the families of the 96 who died on April 15 1989 to pay their respects and remember them at a sombre service at Anfield.

The 96 Liverpool fans died in the crush on the Leppings Lane terraces at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium after going to see their team play Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup semi-final.

Scarves from all 92 Football League clubs made up the number 96 on the Anfield turf

Before the service began, thousands of people began converging on Anfield.

Groups of fans stood around in bright sunshine in front of Anfield's permanent Hillsborough memorial, reading the names of the dead, among them the youngest victim Jon-Paul Gilhooley, aged 10 and the cousin of Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

At the centre of the memorial burns an eternal flame, next to the Shankly Gates, festooned with scarves left by fans of different clubs to show their support.

Beneath the scarves of teams including Manchester City, Everton and Chelsea were placed a growing carpet of floral tributes laid down by visitors.

Memorial To Mark 25th Anniversary Of Hillsborough Disaster

Hillsborough memorial service

Close

What's Hot