Russian UAZ 3151 military vehicle, carrying ashes of Cuba’s fallen ruler Fidel Castro to the Santa Ifigenia cemetery, broke down during the funeral procession, forcing the soldiers to push the vehicle to the final resting place. Castro’s remains were buried in a private ceremony alongside Cuban independence hero José Martí.
Castro, who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008, rejected manifestation of a cult of personality and thus his name will never be used on any institutions.
Addressing the crowd gathered in Santiago Castro’s brother, President Raul Castro said, “The leader of the revolution rejected any manifestation of a cult of personality and was consistent in that through the last hours of his life, insisting that, once dead, his name and likeness would never be used on institutions, streets, parks or other public sites, and that busts, statues or other forms of tribute would never be erected.”
The four day funeral procession called the Caravan of Liberty began in Havana and followed the reverse route of Castro’s journey from Santiago de Cuba to Havana which marked the victory of the Cuban Revolution. Watch Castro’s final journey in the video below.
With inputs from The Associated Press and Fox News