Havana mourns as cremation planned

Despite his advanced years, the announcement of Fidel Castro's death late on Friday caught many Cubans by surprise.

"This is shocking news," said David Martinez, 19, who was listening to music with friends in the Avenue of the Presidents in central Havana, the nation's capital, when he heard.

He described the revolutionary leader as a father figure. "We would have had nothing that we have now without him," he said.