Bahrain prime minister dies at 84

Bahrain's Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa has died at the age of 84, the royal palace announced on Wednesday on Twitter.

Sheikh Khalifa passed away on Wednesday morning at Mayo Clinic hospital in the United States, Bahrain's state news agency said.

The burial ceremony will take place upon the repatriation of his body and the funeral will be limited to a specific number of relatives, the statement said.

Official mourning has been declared for a week.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa was the world's longest-serving prime minister who had held the post since independence in 1971.