After conflicting reports that Hosni Mubarak had been declared clinically dead overnight, unofficial sources now say the ousted Egyptian leader is alive, but in critical condition.

Reporting from Cairo, CTV's Middle East Bureau chief Martin Seemungal was relying on sources inside the military hospital where Mubarak was transferred Tuesday evening for updates on the 84-year-old's health.

"We aren't getting any actual official statement, but these are coming from sources inside," Seemungal explained in an interview with CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday.

"They are saying that he remains unconscious, that he is on a respirator and is in critical condition, but they stress that he is not clinically dead. He is merely either unconscious or in a coma and they can't really clarify that."

Mubarak's health has been in question since he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for failing to prevent the killing of some 900 protesters during the 2011 "Arab Spring" uprising.

In the approximately three weeks since then, there have been reports of at least four health scares ranging from high blood pressure to breathing difficulties and heart attacks.

Overnight, Egyptian state media reported that Mubarak had suffered a stroke and was put on life support.

He was transferred from the Cairo prison hospital where he has been kept since his June 2 conviction and sentencing to a military hospital in the Cairo suburb of Maadi.

Security officials told The Associated Press that a team of 15 doctors, including heart, blood and brain specialists, was supervising his condition there.

Mubarak was ousted from power in February 2011, after 18 days of massive, sometimes violent protests across Egypt.

Nearly 18 months later, and following a landmark election over the weekend, Egypt is still in the grip of political tension.

Both candidates -- Mubarak's former prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq and Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi -- have claimed victory in the presidential runoff vote.

And the ruling military council that is supposed to transfer authority to an elected civilian administration next week has just moved to strip whoever serves as president of powers including control over the drafting of a new constitution and some specific legislative authority.

The official presidential election results are expected on Thursday.