Liverpool to honour Hillsborough dead 25 years on

Liverpool Football Club will on Tuesday hold their annual memorial service for the 96 fans who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster, which occurred 25 years ago to the day. Church bells across the city will toll 96 times at 3:06 pm, the exact time a quarter of a century ago that the club's fateful FA Cup match in Sheffield was abandoned as the tragedy unfolded. The silence will be observed at Liverpool's iconic Anfield stadium, where loved ones of victims will join players, staff and senior representatives of the club among 24,000 people attending the service. Manager Brendan Rodgers will be joined by Roberto Martinez, the boss of city rivals Everton, in giving readings. They will be joined by directors, victims' families, fans and players, including captain Steven Gerrard, whose 10-year-old cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley was the disaster's youngest victim. The fans were crushed to death during Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest as too many fans were packed onto terracing behind the goal at Hillsborough Stadium A new inquest into the disaster resumes on April 22 after the initial accidental death verdicts passed down in 1991 were quashed in the High Court. Liverpool are currently favourites to win their first league title since 1990 after beating Manchester City on Sunday. Source: AFP