Mumbai, April 16: The toll of coronavirus cases in Dharavi, the largest slum of Asia, reached 86 on Thursday. The surge in numbers came after 26 new patients tested positive for the disease in the slum area. The overall death count due to COVID-19 in Dharavi increased to 9, said the update released by the civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. COVID-19 Live Tracker: Map The Spread of Coronavirus in All Parts of India.

Dharavi, considered as the world's most densely populated area, is located in the centre of Mumbai. The slums sprawl over an area of 2.1 square kilometres and house nearly 700,000 people. The first case COVID-19 case was reported in the locality on April 2, and the numbers are constantly rising on day-to-day basis.

Update by ANI

The BMC, along with the Maharashtra State Health Department officials, are on the watch to prevent a community outbreak of coronavirus in Dharavi. Several buildings and bylanes have been sealed after reportage of COVID-19 cases.

Containment zones have been declared in several parts of Mumbai, the worst-affected city in India due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The state capital has so far recorded over 1,900 coronavirus cases, along with nearly 120 deaths. The tally of cases, across Maharashtra, has surged to 3,330 including 187 deaths and 295 recoveries.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 16, 2020 06:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).