Undated handout photo of Trooper Karine Blais who was killed in Afghanistan April 13, 2009. Blais, 21, is the second Canadian female soldier to die in Afghanistan when the light armoured vehicle she was patrolling in struck an improvised explosive device. Photograph by: Handout , DND

KABUL — As Canada's latest soldier to die in Afghanistan began her final trip home, a family in a small town in eastern Quebec was deep in grief Tuesday after learning of the loss of their daughter.

The parents of Trooper Karine Blais, 21, who died Monday in a roadside bomb explosion northwest of Kandahar City, said they were devastated by their daughter's death.

"We are extremely saddened. . . . It leaves a void that is too big," the family said in a statement released Tuesday.

"Despite the terrible news of her sudden loss, Karine had met her goal. She wanted to be a part of this adventure and she was proud to serve in Afghanistan," the statement said.

Blais had only been in the war-ravaged country two weeks when she became the second Canadian woman killed in action in Afghanistan.

Her vehicle struck an explosive device while on a routine patrol on a well-travelled secondary road northwest of Kandahar City during which no "combat indicators," had been seen, said her commander, Lt.-Col. Jocelyn Paul.

Two of Blais's comrades from B Squadron, 12th Armoured Regiment, which is attached to the Van Doo battle group, were "going to be all right" after suffering what Paul described as serious injuries.

The first Canadian woman to die in battle in Afghanistan was Capt. Nichola Goddard of Calgary. A forward artillery observer with the Manitoba-based Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Goddard posthumously received the Meritorious Service Medal after she was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade in May 2006 in a firefight with the Taliban. That incident occurred about 40 kilometres west of where Blais became the 117th Canadian to die in Afghanistan.

Blais's family said she was a dedicated to her regiment and adored her work.

"You are our sunshine and you will be forever in our hearts," they wrote.

Mario Blais, the godfather of Trooper Blais, said her death has touched the entire community of Les Mechins, in Quebec's Gaspe region.

"She was a woman who enjoyed life," he said.

Blais had been recruited at school and enlisted with a sense of adventure, he said, but ultimately wanted to return to civilian life.

"She just wanted to do this one mission and start her own business," possibly as an auto mechanic, he said.

Mario Blais said the family has been receiving words of sympathy from across the community of 1,300, where the soldier was well-known for her work at a convenience store.

Donald Grenier, the mayor of the community, said the loss is possibly his town's first military death since the Second World War.

"Today everybody is deeply touched, it's hard to explain losing someone so young at the service of the population, fighting for our rights," he said.

"A youngster in a municipality such as ours is something precious. It is very difficult on all of us."

Grenier described Blais as a dynamic young woman whose life was cut short after "being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Tributes also poured in on a Facebook page created to honour Blais's memory.