A member of the Canadian Forces who had just successfully defused a bomb near Kandahar City was killed Monday when another device exploded.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Craig Blake, 37, was killed while he and his team were walking back to camp Monday afternoon, about 25 kilometres southwest of Kandahar City. They had just finished disposing of an improvised explosive device when a second device detonated.

Blake is the first sailor with the Canadian Forces to die in Afghanistan since 2002 when the mission began, officials said.

He leaves behind a wife and two young children.

"We are all thinking of the family and friends of our Canadian fallen comrade during this sad time. The commitment and sacrifice of our military and their loved ones are helping to make a difference in the lives of the people of Kandahar Province," the Canadian Forces said in a statement.

Blake, a native of Simcoe, Ont., was a member of Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic), based in Shearwater, N.S. and was trained in improvised explosive device disposal. He had been in Afghanistan for only a couple of weeks, on his first tour in the country, when he was killed.

Brig.-Gen. Dan Menard, the commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, said Blake was known among his fellow soldiers as a role model who had a penchant for poker.

"He was a compassionate and approachable leader whose positive attitude motivated other soldiers to achieve great results," Menard told The Canadian Press.

"Jokingly known as the 'Poker Pirate,' he enjoyed pillaging his army friends during friendly card games. He had a great smile and a genuine laugh and his friends considered themselves very lucky to have known him."

Blake had a decade of experience as a clearance diver with the Canadian military, said Capt. Stuart Moors, assistant chief of staff for personnel and training for Maritime Forces Atlantic.

Clearance divers are tasked with defusing explosive devices that are underwater or that have washed up along the shoreline.

"He was like the rest of the gang -- they're pretty steely-nerved sailors because of the type of work they do," Moors said from Halifax. "He loved it."

Blake was nervous about being sent to Afghanistan, his brother, Chris Blake, told The Canadian Press. But he was "a sailor first" and was compelled to put his training in bomb disposal to use.

In a statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Blake was a "brave Canadian who made the ultimate sacrifice while proudly serving his country."

"This is a loss for Canada and the Canadian Forces, but it was not in vain. With the help of the international community, Afghans are rebuilding their communities and improving their lives."

Gov.-Gen. Michaelle Jean added that Blake "offered the best of himself" while showing an "extraordinary commitment in providing assistance to the Afghan people."

"Our thoughts are with his mourning parents, his fellow sailors and his friends. We can only imagine their great suffering and grief."

Blake's death marks the first Canadian casualty in Afghanistan since April 11, when Pte. Tyler William Todd was killed in a roadside blast while on foot patrol southwest of Kandahar City.

His passing brings to 143 the number of Canadian troops who have died since the Afghan mission began in 2002.

Military officials didn't state whether anyone was injured in the explosion, as such information is no longer made public.

With reports from The Canadian Press