Reuters journalist Maria Golovnina died of asphyxiation: Autopsy

Authorities are waiting for the toxicology report which will offer clues on what caused her to asphyxiate

ISLAMABAD: An official autopsy report on the death of Reuters journalist Maria Golovnina has concluded that she died of asphyxiation, however, results of the cause of which "at this stage cannot be established."

Golovnina, 34, the Reuters bureau chief for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was declared dead in an Islamabad hospital on Monday after she was found collapsed in the Reuters news bureau.

Read: Maria Golovnina : Reuters bureau chief found dead in Islamabad

PIMS spokesperson Dr Ayesha Ishani, while speaking to The Express Tribune, said the hospital had submitted an initial post-mortem report to the police. She said that an external post-mortem report had found that Golovnina turned blue due to lack of oxygen.

However, authorities are waiting on the toxicology report, which is expected to take about a month, which will determine what caused the asphyxiation.

Read: Maria Golovnina: The fearless reporter who combined empathy with storytelling

Dr Ishani said the actual cause of her death will be known when reports of her internal post-mortem will be received.

Read: 10 things you should know about Reuters bureau chief Maria Golovnina

"We fully support Maria's family, the doctors and others who are reviewing her case, and will provide them any information we can," Thomson Reuters, the parent company of Reuters, said in a statement.