Canadian soldier feared dead in ‘tragic avalanche’ in Switzerland

A Canadian soldier is feared dead after he went missing in an avalanche in Switzerland, the military said.

Capt. Sean Thomas, a Canadian Armed Forces member, was on leave in Riffelberg, Switzerland, from his Middle East deployment when he went missing in an avalanche at the Swiss mountain station on April 1.

Thomas is presumed to have been killed in that avalanche, the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement Sunday.

No other CAF members were in the area at the time of the avalanche, the statement said.

“We join all Canadians to extend our condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Captain Sean Thomas who is presumed to have lost his life in a tragic avalanche in Switzerland,” Defence Minister Bill Blair said.

“Canadians will remember the dedication and sacrifices made by him and his family, as he proudly served our country.”

According to the military, Thomas was deployed to Jordan in November 2023 as part of the Canadian training assistance team and was scheduled to return to Canada next month.

He joined the military in 2018.

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General Wayne Eyre, chief of the defence staff, along with other military officials also offered their condolences.

“In this moment of profound reflection and sorrow, our thoughts go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of Captain Sean Thomas,” Eyre said.

“We remember and honour Captain Thomas not just for his service, but for the unwavering dedication and professionalism with which he served our nation. His absence will be profoundly felt by all those who knew him and served alongside him”.

The military said it was providing Thomas’s family with resources and support “during this difficult time.”

Meanwhile, an Ontario county confirmed that a local paramedic was among the Canadians killed in the same avalanche.

Officials in Perth County said that Nikky Nagy, who died in the accident, was “a bright, caring, amazing person” who began working as a primary care paramedic in April 2022.

Local authorities had reported that three people were killed in an off-piste area of the Riffelberg, above the resort and below the famed Matterhorn peak.

— with files from The Canadian Press.