BRITISH PRIME MINISTER DAVID Cameron has conceeded that a Scottish aid worker who died during an attempt to rescue her from her captors may have been killed by the rescue team.

Linda Norgrove, 36, was captured on 26 September along with three Afghan colleagues who were later released.

Norgrave’s death was initially reported as being caused by a suicide vest worn and detonated by one of her kidnappers during the rescue attempt on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference today, Cameron said that the US and NATO forces commander in Afghanistan, General Petraeus, had informed him that it was possible that a grenade thrown by one of the US special forces team had killed Norgrove.

The New York Times reports that Cameron said he had informed Norgrove’s family of the latest “deeply distressing” development. He said that the aid worker’s life had been in danger while she was held, and the rescue “operation offered the best chance of saving her life”.

Gen Petraeus has ordered a full investigation into the incident.

Norgrove was in Afghanistan working on a project for aid group Development Alternatives Inc (DAI). A statement from DAI’s president James Boomgard said:

We are saddened beyond words by the death of a wonderful woman whose sole purpose in Afghanistan was to do good—to help the Afghan people achieve a measure of prosperity and stability in their everyday lives as they set about rebuilding their country.

Linda loved Afghanistan and cared deeply for its people, and she was deeply committed to her development mission. She was an inspiration to many of us here at DAI and she will be deeply missed.