Rome, March 16 (IANS): With Italy becoming the worst-hit nation by the coronavirus outbreak after epicentre China, a local newspaper in the country's most-affected northern region had to increase the pages for its obituary notices almost ten-fold to accommodate the rising fatalities.

A video went viral on social media showing a man speaking in Italian while the camera focuses on the front page of L'Eco di Bergamo which serves the Bergamo city in the Lombardy region, which has been badly affected by Covid-19.

The February 9 edition of the paper -- when the country reported just three cases -- is shown to have the obituary section spanning a page and a half. Then, the edition of March 13 -- by when the country reported over 170,000 cases and more than 1,200 deaths and had been placed under a strict lockdown -- is shown, with the obituary section extending to 10 pages.

Bergamo itself has seen 146 deaths in just one week.

Italy, which reported 386 fresh deaths on Sunday, has a death toll of at least 1,800.