A mystery illness causing widespread panic in Asia may have killed as many as 34 in China, including the first deaths in the capital Beijing, officials have admitted. The World Health Organisation says that the outbreak in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong is "consistent" with the SARS infection, which has been blamed for 18 deaths elsewhere in the world. However, in a worrying development, the Chinese authorities say that there have been three deaths from the illness in Beijing - and that at least one of these may have arisen in a different region of China, the northern province of Shanxi. Officials say they believe they have the infection "under control", with the number of new cases in Guangdong falling. If the link between the Chinese outbreak and SARS is confirmed, this would bring the global death toll to at least 50.

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