France's European Star for Civilian and Military Devotion in Paris on Saturday evening held a fund-raiser gathering for victims of the deadly earthquake in southwestern China. Initiated by the group's president Anh Dao Traxel, who is an adopted daughter of former French President Jacques Chirac, all the participants observed a one-minute silence for those who died in the disaster.

The event drew over 300 people, including officials from the Chinese embassy and some retired French generals.

The group is an association for providing assistance to the families of civil servants who died during their services.

Nearly 69,000 people have been confirmed dead and 18,000 others missing in the earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale which hit China's Sichuan Province on May 12.

(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2008)