Participants at a UN Security Council meeting have held a moment of silence for former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, who was fatally shot while giving a campaign speech.

At the beginning of discussions on Friday, Brazil's UN Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho, who presided over the session, expressed "sadness and shock at the senseless assassination" and extended his "condolences and deepest sympathy" to Abe's family and the government and people of Japan.

Ambassadors and others stood in silence for about 30 seconds.

In Varanasi, northern India, people gathered on the bank of the Ganges River, holding photos of Abe. They lit candles and floated small ceramic plates carrying flowers. One person described his death as a big blow to India.

Abe visited Varanasi in 2015.