BBC man killed by landmine in northern Iraq

3.00pm - by PAUL PEACHEY

An award-winning BBC cameraman was killed in northern Iraq yesterday when he stood on a landmine as he climbed out of his car, the corporation confirmed last night.

Kaveh Golestan, 52, an Iranian freelancer, was part of a four-man BBC team who had arrived to film a story in Kifri, in southeast Kurdistan.

The blast happened as the crew went to film victims of Iraqi shelling close to where its army had abandoned a fortress on the front line.

A producer, Stuart Hughes, 31, was caught in the blast and injured his foot, while a correspondent, Jim Muir, and their local translator were unhurt.

Mr Golestan had worked for the BBC in a freelance capacity for about three years.

He was based in Tehran, and has worked for many Western news organisations.

He was a Pulitzer prize-winning photographer acclaimed for his work during the Iranian revolution and the gassing of the Kurds in the 1988 Iran-Iraq War.

He leaves a wife and a 19-year-old son.

Mr Hughes was taken by ambulance to the American military hospital in Sulaymaniya for treatment.

The accident followed the deaths of two British correspondents.

Terry Lloyd, from ITN, died when his vehicle was attacked, probably by US forces, near Basra on 22 March.

Gabby Rado, from Channel 4 News, fell from a hotel roof in a Kurdish-controlled area on 30 March.

- INDEPENDENT

Herald Feature: Iraq war