Bodies of four Canadian soldiers returned home

TRENTON, Ontario -- The bodies of four Canadian soldiers accidentally killed by a U.S. bomb in Afghanistan were welcomed home with a solemn ceremony Saturday, as Canadians expressed grief and anger over the accidental deaths.

A gunmetal-gray Airbus carrying their remains touched down at the Canadian Forces Base here on Lake Ontario's shore, met by Prime Minister Jean Chretien, the country's top military officials and grieving relatives.

A lone bagpiper played as four coffins -- each draped with Canada's red-and-white maple leaf flag -- were lifted from the plane one by one and carried by grim-faced pallbearers to waiting hearses. They were driven under police escort to Toronto for examination by a coroner.

"This is a very difficult day for all of us ... a very difficult day for all Canadians," Gen. Ray Henault, the head of Canada's armed forces, told reporters before the ceremony, held in a biting wind under a bright sun.

The soldiers who were killed came from the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, which is based north of Edmonton, Alberta.