Bodies Put On Ice: Skating Rink Is Transformed Into A Makeshift Morgue In Spain As Country's Death Toll Soars By A Quarter Overnight

The first hearse arrived today at Madrid's ice rink, hastily transformed into a makeshift mortuary as Spanish authorities scrambled to deal with a rising death toll from Covid-19.

Spain is Europe's second-worst hit country after Italy, with 2,696 deaths and nearly 40,000 confirmed cases after 6,600 cases and more than 500 deaths were reported overnight, the sharpest daily increase since the start of the crisis.

Around 14 percent of infections are among health workers.

Authorities said on Monday facilities could not cope and agreed to transform the Palacio de Hielo mall, home to an Olympic-sized ice rink, into a morgue.