Britain mourns Hillsborough disaster 20 years on

Liverpool fans paid an emotional tribute yesterday on the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster when 96 football supporters were crushed to death in Britain's worst sporting tragedy.

Families of the victims and tens of thousands of sympathisers gathered at Anfield to remember victims of the tragedy at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

For relatives, survivors and those present on the day, the anniversary has revived the heartache of the tragedy, in which helpless fans were crushed to death in a matter of minutes.

The city of Liverpool came to a standstill to remember the victims of the disaster, caused by massive overcrowding in the Leppings Lane end of the Hillsborough ground in the northern city of Sheffield.

People fell silent across Liverpool, outside Hillsborough and in Nottingham's central square at 3:06 p.m., exactly 20 years on from the moment the match was abandoned as the scale of the horror began to unfold.

At Anfield, the names of the dead were read out, a sombre bell tolling and a candle lit for each one. Players past and present were among the congregation.

A reading was given by Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager on the day, who quit two years later under the strain the disaster placed on him.

Like all English Premiership football grounds, Anfield is now an all-seater stadium, a change brought in in the wake of the tragedy.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, whose 10-year-old cousin Jon-Paul Gilhooley was the youngest victim of the tragedy, spoke of his feelings this week.

"Time has gone by, but the scars will never ever be healed and the fans will never ever forget. So you can always rely on our supporters to be there for you when you need them."