LONDON 

A cargo plane carrying medical equipment from Turkey reached the U.K. early Wednesday. 

The Airbus A400M belonging to the Royal Air Force landed at Brize Norton Station at 5.30 a.m. (0230GMT). The equipment is expected to be delivered to hospitals across the country throughout the day.

The death toll in the U.K. from the novel coronavirus rose by 823 on Tuesday to 17,337.

The novel coronavirus has spread to 185 countries and regions since emerging in Wuhan, China last December, with the U.S. and Europe being the hardest-hit.

More than 2.56 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll over 177,000 and nearly 682,000 recoveries, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur