OTTAWA - A second Mountie described as a true hero was killed in Tuesday's massive earthquake in Haiti, a shaken RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said Saturday.

Supt. Doug Coates' body was found Saturday in the rubble of the United Nations headquarters in the Haitian capital Port Au Prince.

At the time of his death, the Ottawa-based Mountie had been the acting commissioner of operations for the UN's stabilization mission in Haiti.

Another RCMP officer, Halifax-based Sgt. Mark Gallagher, was found dead earlier this week.

"In their effort to better the lives of others, Supt. Doug Coates and his colleague Sgt. Mark Gallagher willingly made sacrifices and ultimately gave their lives for this noble cause." Elliott said.

"Doug and Mark are true heroes. They will be truly missed by all who knew them."

The pair were among 82 Canadian police officers serving with the UN mission. None of the others were injured in the quake.

Elliott, who appeared shaken, said he travelled twice with Coates to Haiti and witnessed first hand his passion for helping others.

"He really loved the people and he really felt that we were making a positive difference there."

Coates, a father of three, had been involved in international policing since 1994. At the time of his death, he was in charge of the deployment of Canadian police officers on missions around the globe.

Raf Souccar, deputy RCMP commissioner of federal policing, said Coates used to wrap up all his meetings and correspondence with the same phrase: "Working together in the service of peace."

"He was a great person, trying to do great things for a country in great need of help. He died doing just that," Souccar said.

There was no immediate comment from Coates' family, who on Friday issued a statement pleading for privacy.

But in the statement, which Coates' eldest son Luc made to reporters, he described his father as a "true role model."

"His strength and courage has been an inspiration to me and my family," Luc Coates said Friday.

Coates' death boosts the total Canadian death toll from the Haitian earthquake to eight.

The federal government has confirmed seven of the deaths. A Quebec college said Saturday one of its professors died in the quake too.