A British national is among four people to have died on a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship embroiled in a bitter dispute over plans to dock in the US, according to a spokesman for the vessel's owner.
In what is being described as an unfolding humanitarian crisis, so far two of the four people to have died on the cruise ship the Zaandam have been confirmed to have had Covid-19.
While nine people aboard have tested positive and 189 others reporting flu-like symptoms.
"One of the deceased passengers is from the UK," a spokesman for the Holland America cruise line, which operates the Zaandam, said in an email to the PA news agency.
"Due to US ... laws, we cannot provide any additional medical and health details."
The Zaandam, which is carrying more than 200 British nationals, and its sister ship the Rotterdam, passed through the Panama Canal on Monday after being denied entry to several ports.
Both ships are seeking to dock in Florida later this week, but local authorities are in dispute over whether to let passengers disembark, with the state's hospitals already burdened with Covid-19 cases.
More than 130 people on the MS Zaandam - which has 220 Brits among its passengers - are suffering from flu-like symptoms.
Holland America, which operates the vessel, confirmed that at least two have tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday.
Cheryl Deeks, 66, from the Suffolk village of Mendelsham, told Sky News earlier this week she and her husband David have been unable to leave their cabin since Sunday.
"It's wearing us down, we're just going stir crazy now really,” she said.
Mrs Deeks, who was on the cruise for her birthday on March 13, says crew members have been leaving meals outside their cabin and walking away for safety.
"We're totally stuck in the cabin, from the door to the bed and back is 24 steps,” she continued.
"So I'm trying to do my 10,000 steps a day, and I'm walking backward and forwards doing 24 steps."
The liner, which had been sailing around South America, had been due to pass through the Panama Canal and makes its way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
However it was denied access to the canal by Panamanian authorities, who have banned any vessels with confirmed coronavirus cases.
Holland America, which is owned by Carnival Corp, say there are 1,243 guests and 586 crew on board, as well as four doctors and four nurses.
The company previously said it will transfer healthy passengers to the Rotterdam.
Chris Joiner, 59, from Ottawa, Ontario, told Reuters the cruise had turned into a "nightmare."
He was worried that he and his wife, Anna, also 59, would be trapped aboard indefinitely because she is suffering a cough.
"We're isolated. We're stuck on this ship. We can't go anywhere because we're not healthy, I guess," said Joiner.
Passengers were told on Friday morning about the deaths via a public address system.
One guest died several days ago, followed by two deaths on Thursday and another overnight.
The Zaandam departed Argentina on March 7 and had been scheduled to end its journey in San Antonio, Chile, on March 21.
However, no one has disembarked from the ship since it docked in Punta Arenas on the southern coast of Chile nearly two weeks ago.
