Eternal doesn't mean what it used to.



The Eternal Flame in Victory Park in the northeastern Kazakh city of Semey -- built to remember the fallen of the country's civil war and World War II -- is flickering no more.



City officials in Semey -- formerly known as Semipalatinsk -- say the gas was cut off amid a bureaucratic delay in finding a cheap supplier.



Turns out it's not the first time this particular eternal flame has gone out. Previous flame-outs were blamed on strong winds, rain, and dust storms.



City officials say they can't predict when the flame will be turned back on.



-- RFE/RL's Kazakh Service