BEN GURION AIRPORT, Israel -- UN handed over the coffin bearing the body of the UN observer Du Zhaoyu to a special plane, which took off for China Tuesday afternoon.

Four Chinese soldiers carried the coffin, which was covered by China's national flag, to the special plane, which arrived at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport at about 12:30 p.m. (0930 GMT) Tuesday.

Du Zhaoyu file photo. [Xinhua]

Chinese Ambassador Chen Yonglong mourned for Du at the airport and saw the plane off.

A Chinese team including Du's widow Li Lingling and officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry Peacekeeping Affairs Office had been in Israel to handle the aftermath of Lt. Colonel Du's death.

Du was killed in an Israeli raid on a UN post in southern Lebanon on July 25, which also killed three other UN observers from Finland, Austria and Canada respectively.

Israel has expressed deep sorrow and regret over the incident, but denied it was deliberate.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Sunday that questions still surrounding the deaths of the four UN military observers in Lebanon must be answered.