Five more die in Saudi Arabia of deadly new SARS-like virus which attacks many different organs at once Two further victims of the mysterious new virus are in intensive care Latest deaths bring the total suspected toll from the virus up to 16 Experts warn that if it mutates further it could cause a deadly pandemic Five more people have died in Saudi Arabia after contracting the deadly new virus from the same family as SARS which recently emerged in the region. The five deaths were in al-Ahsa governorate in the kingdom's Eastern Province, where two others remain in intensive care. They bring the total suspected death toll from the previously unknown virus up to 16. Outbreak: Hofuf, regional capital of Saudi Arabia's al-Ahsa governorate, where five more people have died and a further two left critical after contracting the deadly SARS-like virus which has emerged in the Middle East The novel coronavirus (NCoV) is from the same family of viruses as those that cause common colds and the one that caused the deadly 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia. The new virus is not the same as SARS, but similar to it and also to other coronaviruses found in bats. It was unknown in humans until it emerged in the Middle East last year. There have so far been three confirmed cases of the illness in Britain. A 60-year-old man who had recently traveled to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia developed a respiratory illness after returning to the UK and passed it on to two close relatives. One, an adult male with an underlying illness subsequently died; the other, an otherwise healthy woman, recovered without the need for hospital treatment. Recent research has found that the mysterious coronavirus, which was only identified eight months ago, simultaneously attacks many different organs in the body, killing cells extremely quickly. Killer: The deadly new virus is similar to SARS but rather than affecting mainly the respiratory system it attacks many areas of the body at once. This image shows a microscope image of a similar coronavirus Microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung told the South China Morning Post last month that if the virus mutated further it could cause a deadly pandemic. 'It could be more virulent [than Sars]', he said. The Sars coronavirus infects very few human cell lines. But this new virus can infect many types of human cell lines, and kill cells rapidly. It could be more virulent than Sars. But this new virus can infect many types of human cell lines, and kill cells rapidly Microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung The source of coronavirus is not known, but experts believe it originated in bats. Animals which could host the virus include monkeys, pigs and even rabbits Scientists say the new virus is from the same viral family that causes the common cold and also triggered the outbreak of Sars which swept the world from Asia in late 2003, leaving 775 dead. Symptoms of coronavirus - which doctors say spreads rapidly around the body within 48 hours of infection - include severe breathing difficulties, fever, coughing and pneumonia. It can also attack the kidneys, according to health experts. The World Health Organisation said that as of March 26 it had been informed of a global total of 17 confirmed cases of human infection with NCoV, including 11 deaths.