Bangladesh's first female prime minister Khaleda Zia has died at the age of 80 after suffering from prolonged illness, BBC reported. 

Zia became Bangladesh's first female head of government in 1991 after leading her party to victory in the country's first democratic election in 20 years. 

Physicians had said on Monday said her condition was "extremely critical". She was put on life support, but it was not possible to provide multiple treatments at the same time given her age and overall poor health, they said, according to BBC.