Europe death toll from coronavirus surges past 20,000

The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 20,000 people in Europe, according to a tally of official figures gathered by AFP at 1415 GMT on Saturday.

Europe is now the most affected continent with 20,059 deaths from a total of 337,632 cases. The COVID-19 disease has killed 9,134 in Italy and 5,690 in Spain -- the two hardest-hit countries in the world, accounting for three quarters of all deaths in Europe.