Bahrain’s Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa died Wednesday at age 84, state news agency BNA reported.
His body will be repatriated from the United States, where he was at Mayo Clinic Hospital at the time of his death.
The country’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa announced an official week of mourning for the PM, while ministries and government departments will be closed for three days as of Thursday, the report added.
Prince Khalifa was the longest serving PM in the world, stepping into the post in 1970, a year before Bahrain’s independence in 1971.
He was born on Nov. 24, 1935 and previously served as the country’s head of the State Council and of the Supreme Defense Council.
