Uzbekistan's president Islam Karimov has died, Reuters reported quoting three diplomatic sources.

“Yes, he has died,” one of the sources said.

Uzbekistani official newspaper Narodnoe Slovo reported on Friday morning quoting the government that Karimov was in a critical condition. Health of the 78-year-old president has sharply worsened in the last 24 hours.

Karimov had a cerebral hemorrhage on August 27, his young daughter reported.

The authorities gave a little information about his hospitalization and kept silence concerning a situation that gave rise to speculation that the authoritarian head of state, perhaps, has died. The authorities of Samarkand, Karimov's homeland, urgently mobilized labor for cleaning of the central streets on Thursday night that can indicate preparation for a funeral.