Body of Trooper Blais returns to Canadian soil

CFB TRENTON, Ont. - The body of the second female Canadian soldier to die in Afghanistan has returned to Canada.

A military aircraft carrying the remains of 21-year-old Trooper Karine Blais landed at CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario this afternoon.

Blais was killed and four other soldiers were wounded Monday when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in the Shah Wali Khot district, north of Kandahar city.

The native of Les Mechins, Que., was just two weeks into her first tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Blais was based at CFB Valcartier, Que., and served with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal 22e Regiment, also known as the Van Doos, but was a member of the 12e Regiment blinde du Canada.

A total of 117 Canadian soldiers have died as part of the Afghan mission since it began in 2002.

Capt. Nichola Goddard was the first female Canadian soldier to be killed in Afghanistan.

Goddard died May 17, 2006, in a grenade attack in the Panjwaii district, west of Kandahar city.

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  Family and friends of Trooper Karine Blais are joined by Canadian Forces officers at CFB Trenton, Thursday, April 16, 2009.

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  Trooper Karine Blais is shown in a portrait when she joined the Canadian Forces. (Quebec Le Soleil / THE CANADIAN PRESS)