Italy records 743 virus deaths, surging to break two-day trend
Caption: A general view shows the cemetery in the village of Vertova near Bergamo, Lombardy, on March 24, 2020, where 36 people died of coronavirus in 23 days. AFP
Italy reported a sharp rise in its coronavirus death toll Tuesday, with 743 more victims, breaking a two-day trend that had fuelled hopes the epidemic may be on the wane.
The daily toll was the second highest recorded in Italy since the crisis began, but the civil protection agency said that while the number of new cases was up on Monday's figure, the infection rate was slowing.