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

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.

The outbreak also devastated Iran, which has the third highest death toll outside China and the fourth highest in the world. The virus has killed at least 2,077 people in Iran, while more than 27,000 cases have been confirmed in the country, as of Wednesday. Iran also has the highest number of recoveries outside China, with more than 9,600 having recovered from infection.