Five slain Cdn. soldiers from same small N.B. base

by Kaitlin | April 9, 2007 at 11:20 am

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Five soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan have been identified as hailing from the same base--CFB Gagetown near the small community of Oromocto, N.B. The explosion also killed another soldier, who remains unidentified as per his family's request. It was the worst single-day death toll for Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

Oromocto, a town of about 9,000 people, was developed around Canadian Forces Base Gagetown - one of the largest military training bases in the country.

Almost all the townspeople are members of the armed forces or are connected to the military in some way.

"It has been an extremely tough day for CFB Gagetown and for the community," base commander Col. Ryan Jestin told a news conference on the base late Sunday.

"This is a very tragic incident, especially as today is Easter Sunday, and most of us gathered with our family and our friends to enjoy this special season."