On 29 June 1973 Sandquist and his colleague Leonardo Henrichsen were in Santiago de Chile to do a report on the risk of a coup d'état known as the "Tanquetazo", a prelude to the coup on September 11 the same year. Sandqvist and Henrichsen had together covered 16 coups in Latin America and had been shot at several times. While filming the events outside La Moneda Palace, Henrichsen and Sandquist were fired at and Henrichsen was fatally shot by a soldier before collapsing in the arms of Sandquist. Sandqvist later said that the tragic event in Santiago de Chile was the most shocking of his career.