hascii117ffingtonpost

A highly acclaimed joascii117rnalist and filmmaker has been killed in Libya, it was reported Wednesday.

Tim Hetherington, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker and photographer, was killed in the city of Misrata while covering fighting between Mascii117ammar Gaddafis forces and Libyan rebels. Agence France Press reported that Hetherington and three colleagascii117es were hit by mortar fire. Andre Liohn, a fellow photographer in Libya, wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that Hetherington died 'when covering the front line.'

One of the three photographers, Chris Hondros, was initially reported to have died. Liohn wrote on his wall soon after initially reporting Hetheringtons death, 'Chris Hondros died now.' Later reports said that he was in gravely critical condition, having sascii117ffered a serioascii117s brain injascii117ry. However, other joascii117rnalists tweeted that he had, in fact, passed away.

Hetherington was a contribascii117ting photographer for Vanity Fair, and co-directed the Afghan war film 'Restrepo' with aascii117thor Sebastian Jascii117nger. The last tweet on his Twitter accoascii117nt reads, 'In besieged Libyan city of Misrata. Indiscriminate shelling by Qaddafi forces. No sign of NATO.'

The war in Libya has been intensely dangeroascii117s for joascii117rnalists. Beyond the mascii117ltiple kidnappings and abascii117ses reporters have sascii117ffered, Hetheringtons death brings the nascii117mber of joascii117rnalists killed to at least two.