The death toll in mainland China following the outbreak of coronavirus has risen to 132 while nearly 6,000 people are infected, authorities have said.

There were 26 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, with all but one recorded in Hubei province.

Authorities added there had been an increase in the number of cases to 5,974, up by 1,459 from Tuesday’s figure.

Countries on Wednesday began evacuating their citizens from the Chinese city hardest-hit by the outbreak, Wuhan.

Earlier in the morning, a plane carrying Americans who had been in Wuhan left for Anchorage, Alaska, where they will be re-screened for the virus before flying to Ontario, California.

Hospitals are prepared to treat or quarantine people who may be infected.

A Japanese-chartered flight carrying 206 evacuees from Wuhan landed early Wednesday at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

South Korea China Outbreak
Employees disinfect ticket gates in hopes to prevent the contraction of the coronavirus at a subway station in Seoul, South Korea (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

The British Government is warning against “all but essential travel” to mainland China amid the outbreak.

British Airways and Asian budget carriers Lion Air and Seoul Air are suspending all flights to China, and several other airlines including Finnair, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific and Singapore-based Jetstar Asia are reducing the number of flights to the country as demand drops.

Hong Kong will cut all rail links to the mainland and halve the number of flights to stop the spread of the virus.

South Korea also said it will send a plane for its citizens and France, Mongolia and other governments have also planned evacuations.

It comes as the United Arab Emirates confirmed the first cases of the virus in a family who recently returned to the Middle East from Wuhan.

China has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities in Hubei province to prevent people from leaving and spreading the virus further.

Japan China Outbreak
The outbreak has caused a shortage of face masks (Eugene Hoshiko/AP)

The lockdown has trapped more than 50 million people in the most far-reaching disease control measures ever imposed.

A Japanese aircraft was bringing 20,000 face masks and protective gear, all in short supply as Hubei’s hospitals grapple with a growing number of patients.

Wuhan is building two hospitals in a matter of days to add 2,500 beds for treatment of patients with the virus.

Experts worry the new virus may spread more easily than originally thought, or may have mutated into a form that does so.

The coronavirus family is responsibile for causing the common cold as well as more serious illnesses such as Sars.