Britons to be flown home Friday while those tested positive make it to hospital

A patient suspected of carrying coronavirus, arrives at Kyungpook National University Hospital in Daegu, South Korea - YONHAP/EPA-EFE/REX
A patient suspected of carrying coronavirus, arrives at Kyungpook National University Hospital in Daegu, South Korea - YONHAP/EPA-EFE/REX

An evacuation flight for Britons stuck on a cruise ship docked off the coast of Japan over coronavirus fears will leave Tokyo on Friday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said.

There were 78 British passengers on the cruise liner when cases of the coronavirus strain known as Covid-19 started to emerge. Four British cases have since been confirmed by the Foreign Office and two of the most high profile - Dave and Sally Abel - have made it to hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, two Japanese passengers from the coronavirus-hit cruise ship have died, public broadcaster NHK said on Thursday. The victims - a man and woman in their 80s - were the first fatalities from the outbreak on the vessel.