Gigayev, a cameraman for independent Nokh Cho Television in Grozny, and Ramzan Mezhidov, a freelance cameraman working for the Moscow-based TV Tsentr, were killed during a Russian air attack on refugees fleeing Chechnya.
The journalists were covering a refugee convoy en route from Grozny to Nazran, in neighboring Ingushetia. As the convoy approached the Chechen town of Shaami Yurt, a Russian bomber fired several rockets from the air, hitting a busload of refugees. Despite warnings from colleagues traveling with them, Mezhidov and Gigayev left their vehicle to film the carnage. As they approached the bus, another Russian rocket hit a nearby truck, fatally wounding both journalists.