Funeral of Jose Antonio Reyes: thousands of people mourn the death of the former star of Arsenal in Spain

Arsenal director Unai Emery was among the thousands of mourners who attended the funeral of former Gunner star Jose Antonio Reyes, who was put to rest on Monday.

The coffin of Reyes was taken to the streets of his hometown of Utrera in Seville before his funeral, after the death of footballer Saturday.

Reyes was killed when his Mercedes hit concrete blocks along the highway near the town of Alcala de Guadaira, before spilling over and catching fire.

The former Arsenal striker will be buried after a religious service at Santa Maria d 'Utrera Church, which began at 9:30.

Reyes' casket was first taken to the Sevilla football club between 4pm and 9pm on Sunday. The coffin was then taken to the town hall for a night vigil.

His cousin Jonathan Reyes, 23, was also killed in the road accident. He was buried after his funeral at 18:30 on Sunday.

A third cousin, Juan Manuel Calderon, was in the car at the time of the crash, but was able to escape the charred vehicle.

Calderon would be in intensive care at the hospital Virgen del Rocio, where he is recovering from severe burns.

According to reports from the local newspaper Diario de Sevilla, Reyes could have run at about 120 km / h – about 50 mph above the speed limit – before crashing.

An official investigation has yet to take place and, as such, the exact speed has not been determined.

Reyes crashed shortly before Sunday afternoon as he was returning home after a training session in Extremadura.

Utrera immediately declared two days of official mourning. "This grieving person, Jose Antonio Reyes, died in a traffic accident on the A-376.

"Jose Antonio's other relative is also dead Jose Antonio has been a beloved person in our city since the beginning of his football career at the Seville Football Club, still wearing the flag for Utrera."

The mayor of Utrera, Jose Maria Villalobos, added that he felt "overwhelmed by this sad news and by the fact that a young family member has seen himself withdraw his life ".