Medical officials in Mali say President Bingu wa Mutharika has been rushed to a hospital in the capital, Lilongwe, and is currently “unconscious.”

Diplomatic sources say the 78-year-old leader collapsed earlier on Thursday after a suffering a heart problem.

No further details about Mr. Mutharika's condition were immediately available.

Mr. Mutharika was elected president of Malawi in 2004 and won a second term in 2009.

Critics say he has become increasingly autocratic. Nineteen people were killed last July in anti-government protests.