Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been put on life support after efforts to restore his heart that had stopped beating failed according to the country's official news agency MENA.

The 84-year-old suffered a stroke while in prison on Tuesday. The news of him being clinically dead came at the time when Tahrir square was filled with thousands of people protesting the move by the ruling military council's claim to grab power.

The two candidates, Mohammed Mursi of the Moslem brotherhood and former premier Ahmed Shafiq are all claiming to have won over the 50 per cent mark of Sunday's vote. The winner is expected to be announced on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the huge crowd fell silent when the rumours of Mubarak's death broke. The doctors are trying out everything in their means to revive him as conflicting reports about his health trend.