Spain counts 832 deaths in 24 hours as toll surges to 5,690

Spain has the world's second-highest coronavirus deaths after Italy with 5,690 fatalities. The number of cases has jumped to 72,248 as the country moves to significantly increase testing.

Madrid: The death toll from coronavirus in Spain surged over 5,600 on Saturday after a record 832 people died in 24 hours and the number of infections soared over 72,000.

Spain has the world's second-highest coronavirus death toll after Italy with 5,690 fatalities. The number of confirmed cases has jumped to 72,248 as the country moves to significantly increase testing.

Although Spain's latest figures showed a daily increase of more than 8,000 cases, the rate of new infections appears to be slowing with officials saying the epidemic appeared to be nearing its peak.

Madrid remains the worst-hit region with 2,757 deaths and 21,520 infections leaving hospitals and mortuaries overwhelmed and the regional authorities working to open a second temporary morgue in an unused public building near the airport to house the dead.

An initial site was opened last week at the ice skating rink at the Palacio de Hielo (Ice Palace) shopping centre.

With undertakers also overwhelmed, the government has authorised the army's involvement in the collection and transport of bodies for the duration of the state of emergency.

The latest figures came as Spain marked two weeks since the imposition of an unprecedented national lockdown which will remain in place until at least April 11.

Earlier on Saturday, Spain received delivery of 1.2 million masks from China for health workers and those in the transport sector, the government said.

The delivery, which arrived at Madrid's Barajas airport includes some 387,000 surgical masks for healthcare personnel, 75,000 masks for the security forces and more than 7,25,000 for those in the transport sector, from bus drivers to port and airport staff as well as those working for the postal service.

Iran announced on Saturday that 139 more people had died from the novel coronavirus, raising the official death toll to 2,517 in one of the world's worst-affected countries.

The COVID-19 illness causes mild or moderate symptoms in most people, but severe symptoms are more likely in the elderly or those with existing health problems.

(With inputs from AFP)