China: Coronavirus outbreak leaves 132 dead
Beijing/IBNS: The death toll in the deadly coronavirus outbreak which has hit life in China has touched 132, media reports said on Wednesday.
Chinese health authorities announced Wednesday that 5,974 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions by the end of Tuesday, reported Xinhua news agency.
Meanwhile, British Airways suspended all direct flights to and from mainland China due to the outbreak of the disease.
"We apologise to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority," British Airways said in a statement.
Hundreds of foreign nationals have been evacuated from the city of Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak, BBC reported.
The UK government is arranging to evacuate Britons from Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province, with up to 300 British people thought to be in the area. Australia plans to quarantine its 600 returning citizens for two weeks on Christmas Island - some 2,000km (1,200 miles) from the mainland, reported BBC.
Japan, the US and other EU countries are also reportedly attempting to repatriate its citizens.
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