Two Canadians and eight other coalition soldiers were wounded Friday when two rockets hit the Kandahar base in Afghanistan.

One Canadian, artilleryman Master Bombardier Bounyarat Tanaphon Makthepharak from Ottawa, "is critically wounded," a military spokesman said.

Master Bombardier Bounyarat Tanaphon Makthepharak was to be airlifted to Germany for treatment. (DND)

He was to be airlifted to a military hospital in Germany.

The rockets hit a common area where soldiers were meeting in the evening, local time.

The CBC's David Common reported that he heard "a very large whistle, almost like a freight train was passing overhead."

That was followed by "a powerful and bright explosion" that forced the air from his lungs. Everybody then ran for the shelters, he said.

Shards of hot metal showered the tent complex, Common said. Hysterical civilians were helped by soldiers as ambulances raced to the scene.

The second wounded Canadian is in good condition, Common said.

The base houses coalition soldiers from many countries, as well as civilians and base employees. It's the main Canadian base in Afghanistan, home to more than 2,000 soldiers.

Taliban militants have launched a number of rocket attacks on the base from a nearby mountain. This was the seventh attack since the Canadians arrived in February.

Military engineers are trying to locate the site where the rockets were launched.