An Egyptian national in Italy has died of the coronavirus, becoming the first Egyptian to die in Europe's hardest-hit country, a non-profit association said on Wednesday.

Ahmed El-Far, 58, died Tuesday night in a hospital in the city of Bergamo, northeast of the financial capital Milan, where he was being treated, Mohamed El-Abd, the head of the Egyptian-Italian Association, told Ahram Online.

The Milan-based association only knew about the victim's infection after his death, El-Abd said.

"The [Egyptian] consulate is directly following up on the matter with us. No other deaths [among Egyptians] have been registered," El-Abd said.

The Egyptian was married to an Italian Woman. He hailed from the southern governorate of Beni Suef and used to reside in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura.

Italy is the worst-hit country by the fast-spreading coronavirus outside China, where the virus originated late last year. The country's death toll rose to over 2,500 on Tuesday, while the total number of confirmed cases reached 31,506.

At least three other Egyptians in Italy have tested positive for the flue-like virus, El-Abd said. These include a husband and a wife in the northern city of Piacenza; the man has recovered and was discharged from hospital while the wife is still receiving treatment.

Another case detected in Milan earlier this month has since recovered and was released from hospital.

"There are no other cases until this moment," El-Abd said.

The union has provided an emergency number for the Egyptian community in Italy to track down confirmed cases and receive information about any deaths.