BOGOTA, Feb. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- A veteran press-photographer was shot dead by illegal militants in the southwestern Colombian city of Tulua on Sunday night, becoming the second journalist killed this year in one of the most dangerous countries for journalists, police said on Monday.

    Hernando Marne Sanchez, a press-photographer with local newspaper El Pais, got two shots in the head and chest while walking home alone after work, said police.

    He was killed instantly and the two murderers escaped on their motorbikes right away after the incident.

    The 62-year-old Sanchez has been working as a press-photographer for more than 40 years. He won many awards in Colombia and other Latin-American countries for his in-depth coverage on Colombian society.

    Terror attacks against journalists happen frequently in violence-striken Colombia. A total of 114 reporters have been killed in the past 14 years in the South American country, according to official statistics. Enditem