Egyptian scientist Ahmed Zewail has died at the age of 70, state-run TV outlets reported late on Tuesday night.

Zewail won the Nobel prize in Chemistry on 21 October 1999 for his work on femtochemistry, becoming the third Egyptian to win a Nobel prize at that time.

Zewail was born on 26 February 1946 and graduated from the faculty of science at Alexandria University.

He was the first Arab Scientist to win a Nobel prize and has been awarded countless other prizes and honours throughout his life for his contributions to science.