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A 39-year-old man has become the first to die in Hong Kong after being diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus, South China Morning Post reports.

The patient, who was being treated for the virus at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung, died on Tuesday morning after his condition deteriorated, the Hospital Authority has confirmed. He had suffered sudden heart failure, according to medical sources.

The Whampoa Garden resident was previously identified as Hong Kong’s 13th confirmed case of the novel coronavirus originating in Wuhan. His death is the second fatality linked with the outbreak that has been reported outside mainland China.

He had been to Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei, on January 21 and returned to Hong Kong two days later via the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, before developing a fever on January 31.

The man was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei on the same day, where he was confirmed to be infected before his transfer to an isolation ward at Princess Margaret Hospital.

He had underlying health issues, according to information previously disclosed by the Centre for Health Protection.

Health authorities have confirmed 15 cases of the coronavirus in Hong Kong. More than 20,600 people have been been infected across the world with the death toll in its hundreds.