Tim Hetherington, an Oscar-nominated British film director and war photographer, and award-winning US photographer Chris Hondros were killed and two other Western journalists wounded in the besieged Libyan city of Misrata.

Vanity Fair, for which Hetherington was working, confirmed the death of the 41-year-old who covered numerous conflicts and won the 2007 World Press Photo Award for his coverage of US soldiers in Afghanistan.

Hondros, also 41, suffered grave head injuries in the same mortar attack, said medics in the western port city of Misrata, and died hours later from his wounds, Getty Images confirmed to AFP.