A British man onboard a cruise ship in Japan has died from coronavirus.

The Japanese Ministry of Health said the man was the sixth person to have died on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been quarantined off the coast of Japan.

He is the first Briton to have died from coronavirus, also known as Covid-19.

In the UK, 19 people have been diagnosed with the illness.

READ MORE: EasyJet is cancelling flights over coronavirus fears

Health Minister Jo Churchill has said she was aware a British man who had been on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship was “very poorly”.

She told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme: “The Foreign Office are supporting the family of a British man who has been very poorly and was a passenger on board the Diamond Princess.

“I haven’t had confirmation, because obviously I’m on the telephone to you, but I was aware there was a gentleman who was very, very poorly, and I’m sure like me your thoughts and sympathies go out to his family at this time.”

Asked how close the UK was to cancelling big events due to the the virus, Ms Churchill said: “We are taking the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and assessing the situation on a day-by-day basis.

“Any decision to cancel events or mass gatherings have to be assessed at the time, based on clinical guidance and based on risk.”

A spokeswoman for Princess Cruises, which operates the Diamond Princess ship that the British man had been holidaying on, said: “All of us at Princess Cruises, including the crew of Diamond Princess, offer our sincere condolences to family members and friends for their loss.

“Our dedicated care team are on hand to provide support.”

 It comes as the first case of coronavirus in Wales was confirmed.

And EasyJet has said it will be cancelling flights as a result of the continued spread of coronavirus.

The budget airline said the move will particularly impact "those into and out of Italy", while it adapts its flying programme to best support demand.

EasyJet said the increase in Covid-19 cases in northern Italy has resulted in softer demand in the region, while flight demand has also slowed in other European markets as a result.

The budget airline said it would cancel 500 flights on its Italian routes over the last half of March after a spike in coronavirus cases in the country - this has sparked a dop in customer demand.