Cuba begins Fidel Castro's private burial

Fidel Castro's ashes were taken on Sunday to a cemetery in the southeastern city of Santiago - the cradle of the Cuban revolution - for funeral with the military firing a 21-gun salute for their fallen leader.

The remains of the man who ruled Cuba for a half-century left the Plaza of the Revolution in the eastern city at 6:39am local time, more than 20 minutes ahead of their scheduled departure. The funeral caravan entered the cemetery at 7:12am local time.

Thousands of people lined the two-mile route to Santa Ifigenia cemetery, waving Cuban flags and shouting "Long live Fidel!"

The funeral was closed to the public and no images of the tomb have been released so far.

Castro, who died on November 25 at age 90, is being laid to rest during a "simple" ceremony near the mausoleum of 19th century independence icon Jose Marti and other national heroes.

After two days of events in Havana, Castro's funeral cortege departed on a three-day, 800km journey east, retracing the route that the triumphant rebels took upon overthrowing US-backed Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

On Saturday evening, President Raul Castro, his brother and successor, said "millions" had come out to pay tribute.

Crowds have greeted the caravan along the whole route, with volunteers sprucing up bridges and houses

With his brother at his side, Castro began his revolution on July 26, 1953, with a failed assault on the Moncada barracks in Santiago.

He went on to build a Soviet-sponsored communist state 145km from the United States and survived a half century of US attempts to topple or kill him.