Chris Hondros

Getty Images

April 20, 2011, in Misurata, Libya

Hondros, an acclaimed international photographer who had worked in conflict zones all around the world, died from injuries suffered in an explosion in the western city of Misurata. Fellow photographer Tim Hetherington also died in the blast.

The Los Angeles Times, reporting from Misurata, a city that saw intense fighting between rebel and government forces, said the journalists had been working near the front lines of local militia. The blast was believed to have been caused by a mortar round, according to the Times, which cited doctors and colleagues.

Hondros was taken to a local medical center after suffering grave wounds. Getty Images, for which Hondros was working, disclosed his death in a message to CPJ late that day. Two other photographers were injured in the explosion. News reports identified them as Guy Martin, a Briton working for the Panos photo agency, and Michael Brown, who was working for Corbis. 

Hondros, 41, an American, was a 2004 Pulitzer Prize finalist for his coverage of the unrest in Liberia. He had also worked in hot spots such as Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan, winning the Overseas Press Club's Robert Capa Gold Medal in 2006 for his work in Iraq. His work appeared on the front page of the Los Angeles Times on the day of his death.

Medium: Print, Internet

Job: Photographer

Beats Covered: War

Gender: Male

Local or Foreign: Foreign

Freelance: No

Type of Death: Crossfire/Combat-Related

Suspected Source of Fire: Military Officials

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• For journalists, coverage of political unrest proves deadly, December 20, 2011
• Chris Hondros: Images of life and death, April 22, 2011
• Tribute to Chris Hondros, who ventured far with his torch, April 22, 2011