Venezuela’s vice president said Thursday that President Hugo Chavez is fighting for his life, NBC News reported.

“The commander is fighting for his health, for his life,” Nicolas Madura said on national TV.

The announcement contradicted earlier press reports that the 58-year old socialist leader had died, but indicated that the prognosis was grim.

A week ago, Chavez returned to Venezuela from Cuba where he had received two months of treatment for his most recent bout with cancer. Upon his return, Chavez was taken to a hospital in the nation’s capital, Caracas.The president, who has been in power since 1999, disappeared from the public eye in December to be treated for cancer. Venezuelans have not been told of what type of cancer he suffers, nor how serious it is, according to NBC News.

Chavez has made repeated trips to Cuba for treatment since 2011, and was too ill to attend his inauguration in January.

(Source: NBC News)