The five men were friends celebrating the 30th anniversary of their graduation from a prestigious Rosario high school. Eight people in all died in the attack on the day of Halloween. An Argentine national is also among the 12 people injured, while four other Argentines -- all from the same group -- survived the attack unscathed.

A military honor guard on horseback raised their arms in salute as the funeral cortege made its way under police escort from the airport to the highway leading to Rosario, some 300 kilometers (180 miles) north of the capital.

Also aboard the flight from New York were the four Argentine attack survivors, and relatives of the victims.

In a statement, relatives of the victims pleaded for "love to overcome hatred, and for life to prevail over death."

The remaining friend in the group remains hospitalized in New York.

President Mauricio Macri is in New York, where he will pay tribute to the victims at an event at the site of the attack.

Sayfullo Saipov, a 29 year-old immigrant from Uzbekistan, is under arrest on terrorism charges for allegedly driving a rented pickup truck down a mile-long stretch of bike path in Manhattan and hitting cyclists and pedestrians along the way.

Source:AFP