WATCH Russian military infection specialists heading for coronavirus-plagued northern Italy

Russian military specialists who arrived in Italy to help with the fight against coronavirus are heading towards the north of the country, which has been affected by the deadly epidemic the worst.

The convoy, composed of 22 trucks and other vehicles, set off for the northern Italian city of Bergamo early on Wednesday. The convoy, escorted by the Italian Carabinieri, has reached Florence, making a brief stop there, the Russian military says.

One hundred Russian military medics and disease specialists were airlifted to Italy over the weekend, landing at Pratica di Mare Air Base 30km (18.6 miles) from Rome. The team, deployed to help Italy in its fight against coronavirus, brought mobile laboratories, disinfection vehicles, coronavirus test kits, and other equipment to battle the disease.

Italy is the hardest coronavirus-hit European country – the total number of cases has approached 70,000, while the death toll is already twice as large as China’s. Northern Italy has been affected the worst, with around a half of the nation’s cases originating there.

The coronavirus pandemic gripping the globe has caused over 19,000 deaths, while the total number of confirmed cases has surpassed 400,000.

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