Luo Changming was at home when he was called back to work - for de-icing power cables in Hunan Province.

"It's so close to the New Year," his father-in-law pleaded, trying to dissuade him.

But the 32-year-old, with 10 years of experience, was adamant that he would answer the call of duty - and thought the double pay for holiday work would also come in handy.

He headed into the night, traveling over 10 hours to the provincial capital of Changsha to join the disaster relief team of the local grid company.

Disaster struck when the power pylon on which Luo was operating collapsed under the weight of ice last Saturday.

His coworkers, 33-year-old Luo Haiwen and 35-year-old Zhou Jinghua were also taken down by the tower.

Premier Wen Jiabao, who visited the families to express condolences, found himself at a loss for words when he met the speech-and-hearing-impaired widow of Luo Changming.

Premier Wen Jiabao bows to the family members of the three victims to express condolences in Changsha, Hunan Province, yesterday.

"I cannot express my sympathy in mere words. Let me bow to you," he said, bowing.

Tributes have poured in for the three in newspapers and on the Internet as the nation eulogizes the fallen heroes.

They have been posthumously honored as Revolutionary Martyrs by the Hunan government for trying to salvage State property, Changsha Evening Newspaper reported.

The worst snowstorms in half a century started battering Hunan on January 11. Over 60 mm of ice and snow collected on power cables designed to withstand no more than 10 mm.

For days, parts of Changsha had been experiencing power outages and the cables needed to be repaired.

To ensure normal functioning of the 500-kilowatt main power grid in Changsha, Luo Changming and 3,000 coworkers from Hunan Power Company had to climb onto the pylons and knock off the sleet accumulated on cables with hammers, pliers and rods.

Under the weight of the ice, the cables would oscillate in howling wind, and the violent swings were strong enough to shake giant iron pylons to their core.

The two Luos and Zhou had been working as long as 17 hours every day chipping ice 50 meters above the ground when the pylon collapsed.

Coworker Liu Guojun recalled the chilling moment: "I suddenly saw that the pylon they were working on had disappeared," he told Law Weekly.

The pylon was on top of a hill, and a thick layer of snow and ice covered the path leading to it. It took Liu over two hours to stumble up the hill, only to find Luo Changming's cold body covered in blood.

Luo Haiwen and Zhou were still alive when they were found.

Luo Haiwen's cousin Luo Junmin, who had been working on a nearby pylon, said he saw Luo Haiwen dangling from the broken tower and heard him screaming for help. Zhou was holding on to the pylon, motionless and silent, Luo Junmin said.

Villagers and coworkers brought the two down the hill, and an ambulance rushed them to the hospital. But it was too late.

Luo Haiwen leaves behind a wife, three young sons and ill parents.

Zhou and his wife will never pose for the wedding photos they'd missed earlier and planned to take on their 10th wedding anniversary this Lunar New Year.

Luo Changming's coworkers remember him as "honest, kind and earnest".

The honest man lied to his mother-in-law when they spoke on the phone the morning of the accident. To stop her from worrying, he told her he hadn't started work.

The Hunan Trade Union commended the fearlessness and perseverance of the three. The local government has given the men's relatives 100,000 yuan ($13,900) each in compensation.

"The people of the province thank you," said Zhou Qiang, governor of the province.

Six power lines in the province have been repaired, partially relieving the power shortage.

(China Daily January 30, 2008)