BEIJING, May 18: The Olympic torch, which had been passing through China with little trouble after protests at several relay stops abroad, had to be put out due to an over-enthusiastic crowd, state press said Sunday.

In the eastern city of Wenzhou on Saturday, crowds broke through security cordons on both sides of the street during the torch relay and crammed into the middle of the road, the Beijing Youth Daily said.

The flame was temporarily extinguished and the torchbearer stopped due to safety considerations, shortening the relay, the newspaper reported.

Few such incidents reported on the torch relay route in China, which has been closely controlled to avoid a repeat of protests that marred the international leg of the torch’s journey to Beijing.

Pro-Tibet demonstrators disrupted the relay in London, Paris and San Francisco to protest against China’s crackdown on unrest in the Himalayan region, which broke out in mid-March and spread to neighbouring regions.—AFP