MONTREAL - A Montreal woman killed by a slab of concrete as she was about to eat a belated birthday dinner was remembered warmly Friday for her smile as well as a burning desire to advance her career.

To celebrate her 33rd birthday, Lea Guilbeault and her husband Hani Beitinjaneh went to a sushi restaurant on the ground floor of a high-rise building in downtown Montreal on Thursday evening.

But as they prepared to eat, a concrete slab weighing approximately 270 kilograms came crashing down from 17 storeys and smashed through the atrium window of the Mikasa Sushi Bar.

"We don't have the words to describe what we're feeling," Suzanne Carrier, a colleague of Guilbeault's at a financial institution, said as she fought back tears.

"We don't believe it. She was supposed to come back (from vacation) next Monday."

The couple were a month away from their second anniversary, said Carrier, who worked alongside Guilbeault for five years.

"She had a great smile, she was always smiling, she was very appreciated by her colleagues.

"She was ambitious, she had a bachelor of commerce from Concordia University and was continuing her courses to become a certified financial planner."

As friends and relatives tried to come to grips with the tragedy, which occurred three days after Guilbeault's birthday, the Quebec agency that enforces building safety tried to determine what caused the concrete to snap free from its metal anchors.

Christine Grant of the Regie du batiment said no complaints had been filed about the 42-year-old building, which houses the downtown Marriott Residence Inn.

Grant said it was too early to tell what happened and that a proper, thorough investigation was necessary.

The agency said files show the last inspection of the building occurred in March 2000.

That is far too long between verifications, according to Adel Hanna, an engineering professor at Concordia University.

"I would say a building over 30 years old should be inspected regularly, say every second year," Hanna said. "And if there is a sign of deterioration or a potential problem, it could be inspected every six months."

Deputy fire chief Ronald Dubeau told reporters there were initial signs of corrosion in the area, while an engineer interviewed at the scene remarked that other panels may be loose.

"When you lose one anchor, it really damages the other anchor and the whole block becomes unstable," Hanna said.

"But this didn't happen overnight. It happened over maybe a couple of years."

Beitinjaneh was treated for severe shock as well as injuries to a hand.

Montreal police reported he may have lost some fingers when the slab landed.

A Marriott spokesman said the chain does not own the building but manages the facility.

Marriott expressed its condolences in a statement and said the hotel would remain open for business.

It was not immediately clear who owns the building, but Grant said the owner is responsible for ensuring the safety of the structure.

"We don't look at number of years anymore, we look at the risks certain types of buildings may represent," Grant said.

"And we also work by complaint, so if we had received one we would have gone to inspect the building, which wasn't the case here."

But Hanna said buildings made of concrete panels are high risk compared with buildings made of brick alone.

An inspection would likely have revealed signs to the trained eye of a professional, he said.

"The inspection has to be done by a structural engineer who can visualize the building from outside and inside," Hanna said.

"They should be able to find some sort of hints or signals of any deterioration or potential problems. It is difficult but it can be noted if the engineer can see the building from inside and outside."

Some hotel patrons were shocked to hear what had happened but took the news in stride.

"It's frightening, but it's a freak accident," said Jerry Kisil, 52, who was visiting from Calgary with his son for a swim meet.

"It doesn't happen very often and it's not going to stop you from going outside. You can get hit by a car a lot easier than you can get hit by a piece of falling building."

Mayor Gerald Tremblay also conveyed his sympathy to the victim's family and assured that all would be done to ensure public safety.