EDMONTON — Family of a Canadian husband and wife who have been missing since a massive earthquake in Nepal say the couple are dead.
Bruce and Kathy Macmillan, of St. Albert, Alta., were trekking in the Langtang region when the 7.8 quake hit last Saturday.
Louise Bentley, Bruce Macmillan's sister, says the Nepalese government has not yet officially confirmed their deaths, which she says the family doesn't expect to happen for some time.
But Bentley says the family has been in communication with someone who was with the couple in the area at the time of the earthquake, and that the Macmillans are dead.
A Facebook page the family created to help find the couple says they were seen hiking in an area that was totally buried in an avalanche.
It says their trip marked a 35-year anniversary to revisit Nepal, an area they visited shortly after they were married.
"Kathy and Bruce passed away while travelling the world, their passion from the moment they were married," the Facebook page states. "Our deepest and most sincere thank you to all those who contributed to, and acknowledged, our desperate search.
"This earthquake has been an enormous tragedy impacting lives across the globe. It has made ours, and the world, a smaller place."
The couple had planned to meet up with their two adult sons in Kathmandu after their hike.
Bentley said both sons are now back in Alberta.
