Horns blare as Polish trucker killed before Berlin attack buried

BANIE (POLOGNE) - Truckers honked their horns across Poland in homage to Lukasz Urban, the registered driver of the lorry hijacked in the Berlin Christmas market attack, who was buried on Friday.

Mourners attend the funeral of Lukasz Urban, the Polish truck driver who was killed in the Berlin Christmas market attack, in Banie near Sczczecin, northwest Poland, on December 30, 2016

The 37-year-old's funeral in the northwestern village of Banie was attended by Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as officials from Poland and Germany.

"We're extremely sad... Lukasz was really good to everyone, he never said no to anyone," childhood friend Danuta Jurewicz, 34, told AFP.

Some 120 truckers were expected to converge on Banie later Friday to pay their respects, and trucks across Poland stopped at midday and sounded their horns in solidarity.

Urban's body was found in the truck that Tunisian jihadist suspect Anis Amri smashed into the Berlin market on December 19, killing 11 people.

Urban had been killed with a gunshot to the head some time before the attack and the owner of the transport company he worked for said his body showed signs of a struggle.

Family member Zofia Zurek recalled the moment she got the news.

"We recognised his truck on TV, we knew it was him. But until the body was identified, we had hope," she told AFP.

"Lukasz was a great guy and he took excellent care of his family."

The Polish state has said it will pay for the funeral costs. A British trucker, Dave Duncan, has raised nearly 177,000 pounds (206,000 euros) for his widow Zuzanna and 17-year-old son Adam.

Polish truckers have started a similar collection.