A flag draped coffin containing the remains of Master Cpl. Josh Roberts of Saskatoon is carried by fellow soldiers Pte. Richard Stratton (left front) and Pte. Jeremy Bruce (right front) to a Hercules aircraft at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan Sunday. The Canadian Press/Winnipeg Free Press/Joe Bryksa

Hundreds of Canadian soldiers lined the tarmac at Kandahar Airfield on Sunday to mourn the loss of another comrade before his body was transported back to Canada.

The ramp ceremony was held for Master Cpl. Josh Roberts, who was originally from Saskatoon but based in Shilo, Man., since 2006. He was killed on Saturday during a skirmish in the Zhari district west of Kandahar City.

An investigation into the incident is underway as it's believed Roberts may have been accidentally shot by a passing convoy of private security guards.

There is speculation that members of the security convoy opened fire on what they believed to be insurgents and didn't realize Canadian troops were already in the area engaging the group of about 15 insurgents.

Maj. Bob Ritchie, task force commander for Zhari District, said it's not uncommon for private security contractors to engage insurgents.

"Private contractors routinely operate within the battle space and they provide essential security to a lot of development and stabilization groups," he said.

A member of the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, Roberts had transferred to the regular forces from the North Saskatchewan Regiment in 2006.

He leaves behind his fiancée Lise and his unborn son Meyer.

With files from the Canadian Press