Torch carrying Olympic flame goes out in 'wind tunnel' on way to Kremlin and has to be relit with lighter

The Olympic flame, which was lit a week ago in Greece and flown to Moscow on Sunday, briefly went out as the torch bearer ran towards the Kremlin.

The glitch occurred when the man ran through a long passageway, which apparently created a wind tunnel, extinguishing the flame. A man standing along the route pulled out a lighter and the flame leaped back to life.

The torch relay will stay in Moscow for the next three days, with hundreds of athletes, cultural figures and others, including Prince Albert II of Monaco, taking part.

The flame will then begin its journey across Russia, travelling from the western enclave of Kaliningrad to the easternmost point just across the Bering strait from Alaska, before swinging back through the vast country to Sochi in time for the opening ceremony on 7 February 2014.

For most of the 39,000-mile (65,000km) trip, the flame will travel by plane, train, car and even reindeer sleigh, safely encased inside a lantern. But 14,000 torch bearers also will take part in the relay at the more than 130 stops along the way.

One of the silver and red torches, unlit, will be carried into space in November for a brief visit to the International Space Station, and this same torch will be used to light the Olympic flame in Sochi.