St. Albert couple confirmed dead following Nepal earthquake

Photo courtesy: Facebook

The family of a St. Albert couple who were missing in Nepal since the earthquake have confirmed the couple’s death.

The announcement was made on a Facebook page dedicated to finding the couple.

“It is with our deepest regret and sorrow that we now advise you that our sister Kathy Macmillan (Smith), and our brother Bruce Macmillan have both perished in the Nepalese earthquake. Bruce and Kathy were seen to be hiking in the area that was totally buried in the avalanche at the village of Chyamki in the Langtang valley, surrounded by 7000 metre peaks and one of the most beautiful and serene places in the world.”

The family said the trip to Nepal was in celebration of their 35^th wedding anniversary.

“Kathy and Bruce passed away while travelling the world, their passion from the moment they were married.”

The couple have two sons, Jay and Fraser, one of who was in Kathmandu at the time of the earthquake.

Bruce’s sister, Louise Bentley, said Fraser had been “essential” to the search process.

“He has been receiving our information and been passing it on to the DART assessment team that is there,” Bentley said during an interview on CTV Morning Live earlier in the week.

“Every day is harder,” Bentley added.

The Facebook post indicated that 6,000 people had helped in the search.

The magnitude-7.8 earthquake killed more than 6,840 people, with the death toll continuing to rise as reports filter in from isolated areas. The UN has estimated the quake affected 8.1 million people -- more than a fourth of Nepal's population of 27.8 million.

More to come…

With files from The Associated Press