THE number of victims of COVID-19 worldwide continues to rise with the death toll from the outbreak now surpassing 340,000 cases.

According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, three countries now surpass 30,000 deaths.

The United States (US) remains with the highest death toll with 96,000 cases.

The United Kingdom and Italy are ranked second and third respectively, with more than 36,000 and 32,000 cases.

The fourth and fifth countries are Spain and France, with 28,000 cases of death each.