Canadian soldier missing, presumed dead in Swiss avalanche: Armed Forces

A Canadian soldier is presumed dead after he went missing while on leave in Switzerland, the Armed Forces says. Capt. Sean Thomas is seen in an undated photo published to social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. Thomas is believed to have died in an avalanche in an off-piste area near to the famed Matterhorn peak. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Department of National Defence, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

By The Canadian Press

Posted Apr 7, 2024 02:22:23 PM.

Last Updated Apr 8, 2024 04:28:30 AM.

A soldier based in Cambridge is presumed dead after being caught in an avalanche in Switzerland, a month before he was set to come home.

A statement from the Armed Forces says Captain Sean Thomas went missing on April 1.

He was one of three people killed in the Riffelberg, below the famed Matterhorn peak.

Thomas was a member of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, based in Cambridge, with their headquarters in Galt.

A spokesperson for the Armed Forces can not confirm to CityNews 570 any other personal information about Thomas, as his family has requested privacy.

Thomas joined the military in 2018, and was deployed to Jordan last November as part of the Canadian Training Assistance Team.

He was in Switzerland on leave, and was set to return home in May.

The Fusiliers is a Reserve unit under 31 Canadian Brigade Group.

No other Canadian Armed Forces members were in the area at the time of the slide.

— With files from The Associated Press

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