Fidel Castro’s ashes laid to rest near his ‘hero’s’ grave

A guard of honour remains in place whilst workers fix the plaque with his name on Cuban leader Fidel Castro's tomb at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery Santiago de Cuba on December 4, 2016. Fidel Castro's ashes were buried alongside national heroes in the cradle of his revolution on Sunday, as Cuba opens a new era without the communist leader who ruled the island for decades.AFP/Yamil Lage

The ashes of former Cuba leader Fidel Castro have been laid to rest next to one of the people he most admired.

The ceremony to inter his remains came on the ninth day of official mourning following the death of the man who led the country’s communist revolution.

Hundreds of thousands of Cubans have been saying goodbye to the man who was the leader of his country for nearly 50 years.

Many continued to line the streets as his coffin passed by in the final hours before he was cremated.

A private ceremony was held at Santiago’s Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, state media reported.

It added that his remains were due to be placed a few steps from the mausoleum of independence hero Jose Marti, another key figure in Cuban history who Mr Castro regarded as a major influence.

The 19th century poet, journalist, and revolutionary philosopher became a symbol for the country’s bid for independence from Spain and also wrote about the threat of US expansion into Cuba.

Before his death, Fidel had told his brother Raul – who now runs the one-party state – that he did not want to be immortalised with statues or public places named after him.

It had previously been thought that the ceremony at the cemetery would be carried live on television, but hours before official media announced it would be “solemn and private”.

At the point when live TV was cut, military cannons set off a 21-gun salute in the capital Havana that thundered across the city.

Last week, long queues snaked around the Plaza of the Revolution as Cubans mourned the man who dominated and defined the nation.

Schools and government offices in Cuba have been closed as crowds paid tribute.

His death has ignited a heated debate between his fans, who believe he achieved a great deal for poorer sections of Cuban society and his opponents, who regard him as a dictator who kept power through sometimes brutal repression.