The nine victims, all employees of the Shanghai-based China Construction Eighth Engineering Division, were sent to Algeria on an apartment building project last year but were killed as the powerful temblor flattened their six-story rented old building near the construction site.

As their bodies were buried in Algeria, as per Islamic tradition, the victims' 72 relatives from across the country and 80-odd colleagues said farewell to their photos at yesterday's ceremony, bringing more grief.

"We were stunned by the news, and can't believe we have lost our colleagues forever," said Wang Taiping, a spokesman of the division.

Liu Shuli, a 68-year-old senior consultant for the project and also the former vice director of the division, was the eldest among the nine victims.

A confirmed workaholic, Liu, who had an earlier 14-month stint in Algeria, came out of retirement to accept the company's offer to work as the senior consultant, despite knowing fully well that conditions in the African country were very hard, with meat seldom available and overcrowded dormitories.

His wife, a middle school teacher, moved to Shanghai from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, just a few years ago.

"He was an outspoken person, who worshipped his work," said Jiang Xingguo, Liu's colleague for more than 20 years.

Liu's only son, a senior official of the division's parent company in Beijing, China Construction Corp, didn't have time to say goodbye to his father and rushed to Algeria to comfort company employees working on various projects there.

The youngest victim was 26-year-old Zhang Yi, the only child of an old couple and an outstanding worker.

(eastday.com May 29, 2003)