A chapel in northern Italy has been turned into a mortuary chamber as the town cannot cope with the number of deaths due to the coronavirus.

The chapel of All Saints in Bergamo, next to the city’s cemetery, has been transformed into a mortuary chamber Italian reports have said.

Doctors in the area have said they cannot cope with the rate of infected patients, likening the virus to an “earthquake”.

The crematorium at All Saints works 24 hours a day, but even so cannot cope with the high mortality rate, and families of the victims must often wait several days before their loved ones can be cremated, the reports said.

An average of 40 coffins a day are kept there ahead of burial or cremation.

Bergamo, in the virus-hit region of Lombary in northern Italy, has more than 2000 cases with almost 150 deaths since the outbreak.

The town also recorded a jump of over 300 cases in 24 hours.

The whole of Italy is in lockdown as the country copes with the world’s worst coronavirus outbreak outside of China.

All gatherings and ceremonies, including masses and funerals, are banned – meaning victims’ families cannot even bid farewell to their loved ones.