At least 17 elderly people from a Madrid nursing home have died from the coronavirus in the past five days, city authorities said.

The Spanish capital’s regional authorities acknowledged late Tuesday that 17 people have died at the nursing home, as a surge of patients in Madrid’s hospitals fueled worries in Europe and elsewhere of what lies ahead.

The announcement of the deaths came after worried relatives turned to the media to reveal a cluster of the new coronavirus that they fear may have infected many others.

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Spain, now the fourth-most infected country, saw the number of people with the virus rise by more than 2,000 in one day -- to 11,178 -- and virus-related deaths jump by almost 200, to 491.

Only China, Italy and Iran had more infections.

Italy is the second hardest-hit nation after China in the world’s coronavirus pandemic, and the country has the world’s second-oldest population after Japan.

It has been blindsided by the virus that appears to be much more deadly for the elderly and the infirm.

The number of cases worldwide is now topping 190,000,

Mass disruptions shuddered across the globe Tuesday as governments struggled to slow the spread of the coronavirus while also trying to keep their economies afloat.

European Union leaders, meanwhile, agreed to shut down the bloc’s external borders for 30 days.

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The virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, for most people, but severe illness is more likely in the elderly and people with existing health problems.

COVID-19 has killed more than 7,300 people so far, while more than 80,000 have recovered.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.