An air raid early Wednesday on a United Nations (UN) post in south Lebanon by Israeli planes killed four UN observers including one from China.

The Chinese victim, Du Zhaoyu, was a lieutenant-colonel in the People's Liberation Army and had a postgraduate degree. He was sent to Lebanon in January as one of three Chinese UN observers. Du was previously the secretary to the military attaché in the Chinese Embassy in India.

He was born in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, and the father of a one-year-old son.

A 182-member Chinese engineering battalion, including a mine-sweeping, engineering and logistics companies and a field hospital began their peacekeeping mission in Lebanon in late March this year.

There are almost 2,000 peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) which began its mission in 1978 following UN resolutions.

Wan Dong, an official at the Ministry of National Defense, said eight Chinese military personnel including Du had died in UN peacekeeping missions since 1990. From 1978 over 250 UNIFIL military and civilian personnel have been killed while on duty. 

Wang said China had sent approximately 5,600 personnel on 15 UN peacekeeping missions since 1990. The country had contributed the largest number of troops among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

China now has more than 1,400 soldiers serving in UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sudan.

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday expressed his "deep condolences" over the death of the Chinese UN observer, according to a statement from Chinese Foreign Ministry.

President Hu "demanded the Chinese departments concerned properly handle the aftermath of the incident and take every measure necessary to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals in Lebanon," said the statement.

"After being informed of the tragic death of the Chinese peacekeeper early this morning President Hu instructed the departments concerned to condemn the attack on UN peacekeepers, expressed his deep condolences and sincerest sympathies," the statement added. 

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency, July 27, 2006)