Reuters bureau chief found dead at office

News of her death was announced by Jean Yoon, Asia region editor, who said: “Maria was found collapsed and unconscious at the bureau in Islamabad and rushed to hospital, but medical teams were unable to save her.” 

Police sources told Pakistan’s Dawn news website she had gone to the toilet and had not stepped out for a long time when people who were present barged in.

“She was reportedly lying on the floor covered in vomit,” it said.

Golovnina, who was Russian, was rushed to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences where she was pronounced dead. Doctors told Dawn she had died before she could be brought to the hospital.

The cause of Golovnina's death could not be determined immediately and authorities launched an investigation to ascertain the facts of the case, Dawn said. It added that a post mortem would be carried out before her body is handed over to Russian authorities.

Yoon said Golovnina was a superb journalist with a long and varied career at Reuters.

“A fluent Japanese and Russian speaker, she joined in Tokyo in 2001 and subsequently worked in London, Singapore and Seoul as part of the graduate trainee programme. She was posted to Russia from 2002 to 2005, where she covered the early years of Putin’s presidency, the Moscow theatre siege and a spate of bomb attacks by Chechen rebels across the region. She became Chief Correspondent, Central Asia, in 2005, reporting on Uzbekistan’s crackdown on opposition protests, Kyrgyzstan’s revolutions and Tajikistan’s descent into chaos. She did an outstanding stint in Afghanistan during the 2009 presidential election and later went on assignment to Iraq. She moved to London as a World Desk editor in 2010, spent most of 2011 covering the war in Libya before moving to the UK bureau as chief correspondent.

“In 2013, Maria became Chief Correspondent, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and led her team through an impressive run of exclusives and insights. Her talents, energy and can-do spirit will be sorely missed.”

Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler said: "All of us at Reuters mourn the untimely death of our beloved colleague Maria. She was one of our finest journalists, combining fearlessness with an upbeat enthusiasm that inspired confidence, respect and affection from everyone around her. She will be deeply missed." ■