- LONDON: One of the BBC’s leading foreign correspondents, Brian Hanrahan, best known for his coverage of the 1982 Falklands War, has died at the age of 61.
- Hanrahan, who spent almost 30 years with the corporation covering major stories from all over the world, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
His varied assignments spanned the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev in the former Soviet Union, the Tiananmen Square massacre, the fall of the Berlin wall and the assassination of Indira Gandhi in India. He rose to become Diplomatic Editor of BBC News.
But he will perhaps be best remembered for his reporting during the Falklands War, when he famously counted the returning Harrier jets to circumvent defense ministry restrictions.
“I’m not allowed to say how many planes joined the raid, but I counted them all out and I counted them all back. Their pilots were unhurt, cheerful and jubilant, giving thumbs-up signs,” he said at the time.
BBC Director General Mark Thompson said he was a journalist of “unimpeachable integrity and outstanding judgment” and that his personal kindness and humanity also shone through.
“That is why audiences and everyone who knew him here will miss him very much.”