Thousands of Chileans have taken to the streets following the death of the country?s former military ruler, Augusto Pinochet(photo), at the age of 91.

Jubilant opponents danced in the centre of Santiago, Chile?s capital, before clashes broke out. Police used water cannon and tear gas to control crowds. Supporters mourned Pinochet outside the military hospital where he died. The general took power in a 1973 coup, and more than 3,000 people were killed or ?disappeared? in his 17-year rule.

He was accused of dozens of human rights abuses as well as fraud but poor health meant he never faced trial. Although Pinochet?s health had been poor for several years, doctors in Santiago had felt he was recovering after suffering a heart attack a week ago. No state funeral or national mourning has been authorised. He will be buried with military honours today. ?The government has authorised flags to fly at half-mast at army facilities,? government spokesman Ricardo Lagos Weber said.

Divisions

Sworn opponents and loyal supporters of Pinochet both took to the streets in numbers after hearing news of his death. There was a carnival atmosphere in the centre of Santiago, reports said, as cheering opponents waved flags and sang celebratory songs. But clashes broke out when a group of about 1,000 people tried to head towards the city?s presidential palace.

Police fired water cannon and tear gas, and a string of fires could be seen along one of Santiago?s main avenues. At the city?s military hospital, thousands more gathered to mourn the man they saw as having saved Chile from Marxism.?It is very sad, because it is as if we were left orphans,? one mourner, Maria Santibanez, told the AFP news agency. Many of the crowd clutched pictures of Pinochet, and planned to continue their vigil at the military academy where his body is to be kept until today?s funeral.

Earlier, Santiago?s military hospital said Gen Pinochet passed away at 1415 local time (1715GMT) following ?grave and unexpected setbacks?. ?He died surrounded by his family,? Dr Vergara said. After last week?s acute heart attack, the general underwent a procedure to unblock an artery, and received the last rites from a Catholic priest. But in the days afterwards his condition had been thought to be improving. Opponents have expressed anger that Pinochet died without justice being done over the charges brought against him.

?What saddens me is that this criminal has died without having been sentenced and I believe the responsibility the state bears in this has to be considered?, human rights lawyer Hugo Gutierrez told the Chilean newspaper La Tercera Online. Despite his human rights record, many Chileans loved him and said he saved the country from Marxism, and put the country onto a path of strong economic growth. But many loyal supporters abandoned him after it became clear in 2004 that he had stolen about $27m in secret offshore bank accounts, BBC reporters. Those accounts were under investigation at the time of his death. There were also allegations that Pinochet made money from cocaine smuggling ? charges which the family denied.

In September 1973, Pinochet led the armed forces in a dramatic coup against the democratically elected Marxist government of Salvador Allende.

The violence of the uprising and the oppression that followed shook the world. He went on to become one of Latin America?s best-known military rulers of the 1970s and 80s. Earlier in November, Pinochet was placed under house arrest over the abduction of two people in 1973.

The charges ? the latest in a series ? related to the Caravan of Death, a military operation to remove opponents of his rule.

In a statement read by his wife on his 91st birthday, Pinochet said he accepted ?political responsibility? for acts committed during his rule.

?Today, close to the end of my days, I want to make clear that I hold no rancour towards anybody, that I love my country above all else,? his statement said.

Obituary

Augusto Pinochet led Chile?s armed forces in a dramatic coup against Salvador Allende?s democratically elected Marxist government. The violence of the uprising and the oppression that followed shook the world. In 1973, thousands of so-called subversives were rounded up in Santiago?s national football stadium. Some of them were executed. Pinochet emerged from behind his dark glasses to lead the country. Before long, parliament was suspended and elections were banned. As political opposition was crushed, riots, arrests and torture became commonplace. Thousands of people disappeared. Throughout, Pinochet claimed he was saving Chile from communism. Augusto Pinochet Ugarte was born in 1915, the eldest of six children. Following a military education, he joined the army at 18. By 1969 he was its chief of staff, and in 1973 was made a general and became commander-in-chief of Chile?s armed forces. Chile?s Marxist President, Salvador Allende, had then been in power nearly three years. Political strife, rocketing inflation and general economic chaos resulted in an abortive military coup in June 1973. Two months later, Allende appointed Pinochet commander-in-chief, believing he could rely on him. But in September, Pinochet told Allende to resign or face military action. Allende refused and was found dead when troops entered the presidential palace. His widow said he had been killed by the rebels. Others said he had committed suicide. Two days later Pinochet was named president of a ruling junta. Civil rights were suspended, Marxist political parties outlawed, the power of unions reduced, and heavy censorship introduced. It became known later that the CIA had spent millions to destabilise the Allende government. In June 1974 Pinochet became president. In 1978, in what was called a national consultation, he won 75% of the vote. In the 1980s he faced growing difficulties. In October 1988, the electorate rejected him by 54.7% . He reluctantly accepted the result and stepped down as president two years later. However, he remained head of the Chilean armed forces for another seven years and he became a senator for life in Chile?s now democratic parliament. If Augusto Pinochet thought he would enjoy a quiet retirement, he was mistaken. In October 1998, ha was arrested while undergoing medical treatment in London. A Spanish court had requested his extradition to face charges over alleged human rights abuses and, amid much legal wrangling, the British government placed him under house arrest. Old friends, like Lady Thatcher, provided him with high-profile comfort. But his opponents were outraged when a report by a team of distinguished doctors concluded that Pinochet was too ill to face a trial and the British government agreed to let him go home. In March 2000, after 18 months of enforced exile, a Chilean plane flew Pinochet out of Britain, back to his homeland and a welcome from the military and ecstatic supporters. Weeks later, a court in Santiago stripped him of his immunity from prosecution, an act which provoked years of legal wrangling. Even so, at the time of his death, the general still faced a raft of other allegations, most notably over an alleged multi-million dollar tax fraud. But the frailty of his health, after several strokes, meant that he never stood trial and, to the end, judgements on Augusto Pinochet remained passionately divided.