A 12 year-old girl in Belgium has died after testing positive for coronavirus, thus becoming the youngest known person in Europe to die as a result of the pandemic.

The girl is one of 98 who have died in Belgium in the last 24 hours having contracted the virus, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to over 700 while the number of positive tests has surpassed 12,700.

Spokesman for the National crisis centre, Emmanuel Andre, said it is 'an emotionally difficult moment, because it involves a child, and it has also upset the medical and scientific community'.

He added: "We are thinking of her family and friends. It is an event that is very rare, but one which upsets us greatly."

It has not yet been revealed as to whether the girl had any underlying health conditions.

Mr Andre also warned that hospitals in Belgium were beginning to become over-subscribed with patients, adding: "We will arrive at a point where we're close to saturation point at our hospitals."

Up until the 12-year-old girl's death, the youngest known death in Europe was 14-year-old Vitor Godhino from Porto in Portugal, while the youngest in Britain is believed to be an 18-year-old who had severe underlying health conditions.