Beijing, January 24: The death toll due to the deadly Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) in China climbed to 25 on Friday. A total of 830 cases have been reported of the new coronavirus, the Chinese health authorities informed. Of the 25 deaths so far, 24 have been reported from central China's Hubei province and one in north China's Hebei, the National Health Commission said. According to the National Health Commission, a total of 1,072 suspected cases have been reported in 20 provincial-level regions.

According to reports, concerns for India rose as there are about 700 Indian students, mostly studying medicine in different Chinese universities. These students reside in Wuhan and its neighbouring areas, where the outbreak has caused fear and panic. While many of them were believed to have left home for the Chinese New Year holidays, others remained in the city to complete their academic work. China's Coronavirus Symptoms: How Susceptible Are Indians To Mysterious New Pneumonia Infection? Here Are Causes and Signs of The Deadly Outbreak.

Indian Embassy in Beijing Opens Hotline Numbers for Indians

Embassy of India in Beijing opened hotline for Indians in wake of Coronavirus outbreak in China. The Embassy has started two hotlines for those who wish to get in touch with the Embassy in this regard: +8618612083629 and +8618612083617. The move comes after the Embassy of India in Beijing  received queries from Indians in Hubei province and their relatives in India in connection with Coronavirus epidemic in China.

Take a Look at the Tweets:

The Embassy said it is in touch with relevant Chinese authorities in Beijing and Wuhan and Indians in Hubei Province. "We are closely monitoring the evolving situation in China, including advisories issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in this connection. The relevant Chinese authorities have assured all assistance to residents of Wuhan, including food supply", Embassy of India in Beijing said in a statement. The Chinese officials assured all assistance, including food supply, to the Indians who stayed put in the province.

The Embassy also urged people to keep track of the embassy's Twitter account @EoIBeijing for updates. "All are advised to also keep track of the embassy's social media accounts (Twitter:@EoIBeijing; Facebook: India in China) for updates on this evolving situation," the release said.

Wuhan and Huanggang Epicentre of Coronavirus Outbreak

Wuhan and neighbouring Huanggang have been the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. Reports inform that the confirmed cases climbed to over 600 mostly from the city and the province with 17 deaths so far. The two cities put together have a population of over 17 million people. Chinese officials have urged eople to stay at home and follow the precautions.

On Thursday, China locked down five cities and suspending all public transport to contain the coronavirus. The Lunar New Year celebrations across the nation took a hit after the outbreak of the deadly virus. The five cities where public transport took a hit were Huanggang, Ezhou, Zhijiang, Qianjiang and Wuhan in Hubei province.

According to reports, the deadly virus originated from the city of Wuhan in December 2019 and since then cases have been reported in several countries including United States, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 24, 2020 08:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).