As resentment against the Chinese government grows exponentially over its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, reports have emerged of a citizen journalist who was reporting from Wuhan going missing.

Chinese citizen journalist Chen Qiushi, who has been reporting on the coronavirus epidemic from the epicentre city Wuhan, has been missing since Thursday.

Chen's ground reporting had helped lift the veil on the ground situation in China, a nation that maintains iron-clad control on reportage.

Defying government censorship laws, Chen had been posting regular broadcasts on the situation in Wuhan, which has been placed under lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

According to reports, Chen's family members have claimed that he went to a hospital with his friends on Thursday but never returned.

In a video posted on Chen's Twitter account, his mother said, "I am Chen Qiushi's mother. Please, online friends and especially those in Wuhan, please help me and find Chen Qiushi and find out what happened to him."