A 39-year-old man who lived in Whampoa Garden and who came down with the Wuhan coronavirus has died at Princess Margaret Hospital, the Hospital Authority said on Tuesday.

It was the first death linked to the coronavirus recorded in Hong Kong and only the second fatality reported outside the mainland. A Wuhan resident who travelled to the Philippines had died there.

The Hong Kong resident who died on Tuesday had an underlying illness and had travelled to Wuhan on January 21.

He had suffered from muscle pain last week and went down with a fever. He later sought treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was moved to an isolation ward in Princess Margret after the coronavirus infection was confirmed.

The man had taken high-speed train G306 from Hong Kong to Wuhan and returned from Changshanan to Hong Kong on train G79 on January 23. His was the 13th coronavirus case reported in Hong Kong.

His 72-year-old mother has also been confirmed to be carrying the Wuhan virus.

She also has an underlying illness and was first put into a quarantine camp, before being sent to hospital after developing a fever and cough. The woman was transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital on Sunday.

Health authorities had earlier revealed that the pair lived in Block 1, Site 11, Whampoa Garden.

The Centre for Health Protection had said the man had not visited any healthcare facilities, wet markets or seafood markets on the mainland, nor did he have any exposure to wild animals.

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Last updated: 2020-02-04 HKT 11:00