CRUCIAL online data related to the laboratory suspected of being the source of coronavirus has been deleted – sparking fresh accusations of a cover-up by the Chinese government.

Hundreds of pages of information connected to studies carried out by the top-secret Wuhan Institute of Virology have been wiped, The Mail on Sunday revealed.

More than 300 studies published by the National Natural Science Foundation of China – including investigations into diseases that transfer from animals to humans – are no longer available.

The state-run organisation deleted scores of online content, including studies carried out by Wuhan based virologist Shi Zhengli – dubbed "Batwoman".

The 56-year-old earned the nickname for her research gathering samples in bat caves.

The mass removal of the online studies has reaffirmed fears that China is trying to hamper the investigation into the origin of coronavirus.

Data, including the risk of cross-species infection from bats with Sars-like coronaviruses and investigations into human pathogens carried by bats have been wiped – key sources for the inquiry into the origin of coronavirus.

Iain Duncan Smith, former Conservative leader and member of the International Parliamentary Alliance on China said, "China is clearly trying to hid the evidence.

"It is vital that there is a thorough investigation into what happened but China seems to be doing all it can to stop that happening."

Stories regarding the 'cover-up' have continued to swirl in the wake of President Xi Jinping blocked World Health Organisation investigators from entering the country last week.

The extraordinary turn of events sparked international outrage as China were plagued with accusations of fudging numbers of cases and death tolls, as reports of 'whistleblowers' talking to US authorities continue.

It is the latest debacle in the chain of events of concealment, as just days before the WHO was alerted to the outbreak in Wuhan in December 2019, the Wuhan Institute of Virology began altering its database of viral pathogens.

Top aide to President Trump, Matthew Pottinger, last week claimed the coronavirus escaping from a lab in Wuhan was the most "credible" theory for the start of coronavirus.

He told leaders during a call that: "Even establishment figures in Beijing have openly dismissed the wet market story."

As well as this, damning leaked files allege China hid its true Covid-19 infection rate to "protect" its image.

The explosive secret data, from China's own health chiefs, appeared to expose a catalogue of cover-ups and blunders which hid the true scale of the killer disease that has since killed more than 1.8 million people.

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