Photo/Illutration The Diamond Princess nears the Daikoku Futo pier at Yokohama Port on Feb. 6. (Hiroki Endo)

Fears of a mass outbreak of the new coronavirus grew after an additional 10 passengers aboard the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess were found to be infected.

The health ministry announced Feb. 6 that tests on 10 of 71 people whose results came out proved positive. Those individuals were being rushed to hospitals in Kanagawa Prefecture for treatment.

The latest figure brings to 20 the number of people who have tested positive based on 102 results.

The cruise ship carried 2,666 passengers and a crew of 1,045. The vessel was quarantined Feb. 5 for a minimum two-week period. It remains anchored off Yokohama Port.

According to the ministry, the infected passengers, both male and female, range in age from their 50s to 70s. Four are from Japan; 2 from the United States; 2 from Canada; 1 from New Zealand; and 1 from Taiwan.

Ministry officials said 237 individuals aboard with symptoms such as fever and coughing or who had been in close contact with them were tested to confirm if they are infected.

Test results on 171 individuals are not yet known. There are fears that the number of infected people could rise.

Japanese health authorities decided that passengers who do not display symptoms must remain in their cabins during the quarantine period to prevent the virus from spreading.

Diamond Princess docked at Daikoku Futo pier in Yokohama Port around 8:50 a.m. on Feb. 6 to stock up on food and supplies.

It will remain there to make it easy to ferry goods to the ship and for those dealing with the outbreak to come and go.

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