Hundreds of mourners have gathered for the funeral of a "hard-working and helpful" man who died in the UK's first case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF).
Fazal Ahmad, an Afghan national and former asylum seeker who moved to Glasgow several years ago before setting up his own business, died in hospital on Saturday, two days after laboratory tests confirmed he had the tropical disease.
He returned to Glasgow from Afghanistan last Tuesday, via a connecting flight from Dubai, and was initially treated in isolation at Gartnavel General Hospital's Brownlee Centre, which specialises in infectious disease.
The 38-year-old mechanic was transferred to a high-security infectious disease unit at London's Royal Free Hospital, where he succumbed to the illness.
The body of Mr Ahmad, who had been in Afghanistan's Samangan province to attend his brother's wedding, was brought back to Glasgow ahead of his funeral on Tuesday.
About 200 mourners packed into the city's Central Mosque to pay their respects. Mohammed Asif, acting chairman of the Scottish Afghan Society, paid tribute to his friend, who leaves behind a wife and a young son.
"The whole community has lost a very hard-working, nice guy," he said after the service. "He helped the community in Glasgow and was an active member of the Afghan Society.
"It is very sad that we should lose him in this manner. Everybody is shocked and saddened.
"He was young and was a family man who worked hard for his family. It's sad he died so young."
Mr Ahmad will be buried in the Muslim Cemetery in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow.
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