The Chinese city of Wuhan hiked its death toll from the novel coronavirus by 50 percent on Friday, bringing the total to 3,869, state-run TV reported, confirming residents' worst fears amid rising international doubts about Beijing's handling of the outbreak.
The central city where the virus first appeared in humans late last year added another 1,290 victims on top of the 2,579 previously counted as of Thursday, reflecting incorrect reporting, delays and omissions, CCTV reported.
The revisions follow widespread speculation that Wuhan's death toll was significantly higher than reported, rumors fuelled by images of long lines of family members waiting to collect victims' ashes, and reports of thousands of empty urns stacked at a single funeral home.