Friends of a Montreal man caught in the crossfire of a gun battle in Egypt are expressing shock and sadness at his death.

Egyptian media reported Jean-François Pelland died of his wounds in hospital Saturday, three days after men fired on his car thinking it was carrying members of a rival tribe.

"It's just a tragedy," said Warren Burrell, who worked with Pelland when the two were teaching at a school in Malaysia a few years ago.

"It's just a shock because he just loved life."

Egyptian news service Bikya Masr said Pelland was touring southern Egypt with a friend on Wednesday when shots were fired after their vehicle refused to stop for an illegal road block in the town of al-Samata.

Family feuds and revenge attacks are common in southern Egypt, where many families take the law into their own hands and refuse police intervention.

Burrell said he found out about Pelland's death from a mutual friend and added that details on the circumstances of the shooting were still hazy.

"I would just say wrong place, wrong time. Maybe a misunderstanding of the trouble zone they were entering into," he said.

Burrell described Pelland, 34, as an enthusiastic teacher and a great ambassador for Canada.

"His dream was to be a principal of a school," he said.

Burrell added that the man known to his friends as "Jeff" moved to Cairo in August to teach at the British Columbia International School.

A passion for travel

In a biography posted on the school's website Pelland wrote that he had travelled to more than 35 countries and had taught in Asia, the Caribbean, the U.S. and Canada, but it was his first time in Africa.

"I am not going to leave Egypt until I finish touring Africa," Pelland had written. "I might be here for a while."

Burrell said the situation which lead to Pelland's death -- touring a part of southern Egypt -- was exactly the kind of the thing the Montrealer did with his spare time.

"He never sat still for a minute," Burrell said. "He loved life, he just wanted to see the world and make it a better place. The students all loved him."

Canada's Foreign Affairs Department said it was aware of media reports concerning a Canadian citizen in Egypt and that consular staff were working on the matter, "offering assistance as appropriate."

Some of Pelland's students took to the Internet to express their dismay and remorse over the news of his death.

One blogger remembered Pelland as a passionate teacher who wore his ice hockey gear to host Talent Nights.

"He was fun, daring, adventurous," wrote the student. "He has taught us to be fearless and remain passionate. May he rest in peace."