Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika has been flown to South Africa for medical treatment after suffering a heart attack, state media report.

马拉维国家媒体报道，总统宾古·瓦·穆塔里卡突发心脏病被送往南非接受治疗。

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President Mutharika has been accused of economic mismanagement and authoritarianism
Mr Mutharika, 78, was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in the capital, Lilongwe, after falling ill on Thursday morning.

The president has been under mounting pressure to resign, amid accusations² of nepotism³（裙带关系） and economic mismanagement.

Reports say police have deployed⁴ in force across the capital.

'Panic'

A senior official at Kamuzu Central Hospital told AFP news agency that the president had been unconscious since 09:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Thursday.

The official, who did not want to be named, described his condition as critical.

His wife and his brother, Foreign Minister Peter Mutharika, are among those to have visited him, sources say.

A hospital source quoted by the Reuters news agency said there had been "panic" when the president was brought in.

"His head was covered to hide his face as he was wheeled in on a wheelchair," another medical source told the agency.

For most of the day, state media made no mention of the news and officials denied the reports.

But on Thursday evening, Vice-President Joyce Banda confirmed that the president was unwell.

"When I first heard the state president had been taken ill, I quickly wished him quick recovery. I wish to ask all Malawians to pray for the quick recovery of our state president," said Mrs Banda.

Correspondents say there is concern that his death could spark a political crisis in the impoverished⁵ African nation.

Discontent with his leadership have recently sparked violent protests against his rule.

The president has also been embroiled⁶ in a bitter power struggle within his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).