British tourist dies of coronavirus in Cape Verde

A 62-year-old British man has died in Cape Verde after contracting coronavirus, the country's health minister has announced.

This is the first known coronavirus-related death in the archipelago, which lies around 500km (about 300 miles) off the west coast of Africa.

The man arrived on the island of Boa Vista on 9 March and began showing symptoms a week later, reports the AFP news agency. He died on Monday night.

"This patient had risk factors that further aggravated his case,” Health Minister Arlindo do Rosário is quoted as saying by Cape Verdean news site Expresso das Ilhas.

The authorities have detected two other cases on Boa Vista.

One is a friend of the British tourist, who has not shown any symptoms, Exresso das Ilhas reports.

The other is a 60-year-old Dutch tourist.

All staff at the hotel where the man was staying are now in confinement, Mr Rosario is quoted by AFP as saying.