Dhaka - Tens of thousands of mourners Monday bade farewell in tears to Bangladeshi army officers killed in last week's mutiny by border guards, officials said.

Members of the bereaved families, politicians, army officers and others joined the funeral and a memorial parade before the bodies of 49 members of Bangladesh Army and a wife of an officer were laid to rest amid full state honour.

President Zillur Rahman, who attended the prayer session at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka, paid floral respect on behalf of the nation to the slain officers' coffins wrapped in Bangladesh national and army flags.

The chiefs of the Bangladesh army, navy and air force also paid respect to their colleagues at the parade and the prayer sessions, broadcast live by the state-run electronic media.

The bodies arrived at the square amid gun salutes as relatives, friends and colleagues broke down in tears, many clutching wreaths to pay a last tribute to the dead.

The officers, whose bodies were found in mass graves inside the headquarters compound of the Bangladesh Rifles in Dhaka after the mutiny was quelled Thursday, were also given an air salute by the air force fighter planes at the parade ground.

The chief of the Bangladesh border force, Major General Shakil Ahmed, was among many officers killed in the shooting by the disgruntled soldiers.

The rescuers recovered as many as 73 bodies from inside and outside the headquarters and are still searching for the missing officers. More than 70 officers are still missing, officials said.

Bangladesh on Monday launched a nationwide drive to capture the fugitive mutineers. The authorities deployed army troops to aid the civil administration to nab the rebel soldiers as they believe many of the 1,000 mutineers were still at large across the country.

The government levelled charges against 1,000 border guards, among whom more than 450 are currently under custody. It also sought international assistance to probe the killings of the army officers.

The mutiny ended late Thursday with the surrender of the mutineers, 35 hours after rebel soldiers opened fire on their officers at a meeting where soldiers were allowed to air grievances.

Several hundred enlisted men, enraged over a pay dispute and alleged repression and corruption by the commanders of the 67,000-strong force, took the officers hostage. (dpa)