A still image grabbed from the CCTV 13 news channel shows Luo Yang, left, on China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, November 2012 file photo. [Photo/China Daily]

Nov 25

As the carrier returned to port in Dalian, crowds turned out to welcome it. Luo was one of the last to disembark.

He walked slowly and looked exhausted, his colleagues recalled. He did not hug any co-workers who were waiting for him, as he usually did, but instead shook their hands, all the while smiling. Then he went directly to a hotel.

The company planned to have a celebration in the afternoon, but Luo said he could not attend, without explanation.

His colleagues wanted to find out why and went to his hotel room. They found him lying on a bed, looking frail. Luo said he had chest pain.

He was rushed by car to a hospital several kilometers away. About 100 meters from the hospital, he had severe difficulty breathing. Medical personnel were unable to save him, and he was pronounced dead at 12:48 pm.

Luo's body was taken to a funeral home that night.