Brits trapped in the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak have been warned that the last flights to leave the area will soon depart.
The British Embassy in Beijing has alerted those planning to leave the region of Hubei of a number of flights leaving this week.
With the death toll rising in and around the region's capital Wuhan, the embassy has warned flights out may soon be stopped.
"There will be a number of new flights this week arranged by partner countries," the embassy said in a statement.
"We are working hard to get seats on those flights for British nationals and their immediate families - the Chinese authorities have confirmed that this would include Chinese and third-party nationals."
Are you stuck in Wuhan? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk
It added that they "may be the last flights available for foreign nationals out of Hubei".
The coronavirus death toll in mainland China has overtaken the SARS epidemic of 2003 while a new 1,000-bed hospital to help tackle the outbreak has been built in just eight days.
Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, where the virus originated, is one of two dedicated facilities being constructed with 361 deaths now confirmed since the outbreak started in December.
Patients will begin to be admitted from later today, according to reports.
As the fight to contain the virus continues, criticism has been levelled at the Chinese authorities for the way it reacted to the outbreak.
Doctor Li Wenliang, who worked at a hospital in Wuhan, sent a message to a group chat of medical students saying "Quarantined in the emergency department" - at the point when just seven patients were confirmed as infected.
One member of the group chat replied saying "So frightening" before asking if it could become as serious as the SARS epidemic that began in China and killed 800 people.
Three days later, Dr Wenliang was arrested in the middle of the night after police turned up at his home.
He was allegedly then made to sign a statement saying his actions were classed as "illegal behaviour", reports The New York Times.
In a bid to fight the virus's spread Huoshenshan Hospital has been constructed in Wuhan.
It was built in just eight days and has 1,000 beds for patients with confirmed infections to ease a shortage of beds elsewhere in the city as the virus spreads.
The embassy in Beijing urged any Brits in Hubei or Wuhan who want to leave to contact them on their 24-hour hotlines +86(0)1085296600 or +44(0)2070081500.
