MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) -- Rodolfo Garcia, an Associated Press reporter who helped chronicle Nicaragua's emergence out of civil war, a papal visit, volcanoes and floods, died in Managua after a long illness. He was 58.
Garcia joined The Associated Press office in Managua in 1986 after working for Radio Nicaragua, where he was director of short-wave broadcasts, and after helping found a local news agency, Agencia de Noticias Nueva Nicaragua.
For the AP, he covered the war between the Sandinista government and Contra rebels, the Sandinistas' loss of power at the ballot box and the country's sometimes turbulent effort to put years of war behind it.
He also reported on volcanic eruptions, the 1996 visit of Pope John Paul II and the ravages of Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
''He worked under very difficult conditions created by a civil war but always managed to maintain total objectivity and a fair vision under pressure in reporting for The Associated Press,'' said Eloy Aguilar, the AP bureau chief for Mexico and Central America.
Garcia was born in Nandasmo, a town about 15 miles south of Managua. He attended the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua.
Garcia suffered a series of illnesses last year, including diabetes and cancer. He died Saturday night.
He was buried in Nandasmo on Sunday. He is survived by his wife, Ana Leonor Hernandez, and four daughters.