A BRITISH TOURIST who had been on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship has died from the Covid-19 coronavirus. 

He is the first British person to have died from the virus. 

The Japanese Ministry of Health said the man was the sixth person from the ship, which has been quarantined off the country’s coast, to have died. 

In the UK, 19 people have been diagnosed with the illness.

British Health Minister Jo Churchill said earlier that she was aware a British man who had been on board the ship was “very poorly”.

She told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme: “The Foreign Office are supporting the family of a British man who has been very poorly and was a passenger on board the Diamond Princess.

“I haven’t had confirmation because obviously I’m on the telephone to you, but I was aware there was a gentleman who was very, very poorly, and I’m sure like me your thoughts and sympathies go out to his family at this time.”

Wales reported its first patient with the virus today and two more sufferers were identified in England.

The patient in Wales had recently travelled back from Italy, the worst-affected country in Europe.

Those identified in England had recently travelled back from Iran, the Department for Health said. The virus has spread rapidly across Iran – with 22 dead amid 141 cases confirmed.

So far, there have been over 83,000 cases confirmed worldwide and over 2,800 deaths. The virus has reached reached nearly 60 countries so far.