Three professors at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province have died in February due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, including one academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The three professors are Hong Ling at the School of Life Science and Technology, Lin Zhengbin, chief physician of the Institute of Organ Transplantation of Tongji Hospital and academician Duan Zhengcheng at the School of Mechanical Engineering.

The university so far has lost five professors since the epidemic, with the other two having died of other diseases.

Ke Huibing, professor at the School of Social Sciences of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, died on Wednesday at the age of 41. He was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma before he passed away.