Russia's Interfax news agency has withdrawn an earlier report saying that Uzbekistan's president Islam Karimov had died.

It said the original report, which cited an official government statement, had been put out due to a "technical error".

Uzbekistan has now been plunged into uncertainty about whether or not the dictator is alive.

The Uzbek government did not immediately confirm the reports of Karimov's death, but played funeral music on state channels.

Earlier, officials released a statement saying the 78-year-old president's health had "sharply deteriorated".