BBC man killed by landmine in north of Iraq

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, died when the four-man BBC team arrived at Kifri, in south-east Kurdistan, at midday 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 5,000 Kurds at Halabja in 1988. He leaves a wife and a 19-year-old son.

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

The BBC's director of news, Richard Sambrook, said: "Kaveh Golestan was an outstanding photojournalist who had worked in support of freedom of expression in his native Iran and elsewhere. He had worked with the BBC for many years. Our deepest sympathy goes to his family and friends. This once again underlines the dangers faced by news teams covering the war in Iraq."

The loss of Mr Golestan follows 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. Gaby Rado, fromChannel 4 News, fell from a hotel roof in a Kurdish-controlled area on 30 March. Paul Moran, of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, was killed on 22 March in northern Iraq.