Tasnim � Iran�s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that it is taking the necessary measures to facilitate the return of Iranian students from Italy amid the quickly worsening coronavirus pandemic in the European country.

As COVID-19 continues to spread at full speed across Italy, tens of Iranian students in the European country have demanded that the government pave the way for their repatriation, the ministry said in a statement.

The issue is being seriously pursued both in Tehran and Rome, and the students will be brought back home as soon as the required approvals are obtained, it added.

Cases of coronavirus infection in the world have surpassed 680,000, while the epidemic has yet to reach its peak in the worst-hit countries of Europe and has just begun in the world�s poorest continent, Africa.

Data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University also showed that the number of people who have died of the disease caused by the coronavirus had reached 31,913 as of Sunday � two-thirds of them having been reported in Europe.

Italy, the world�s worst-hit nation, is now reporting an overall death toll of over 10,000.

Officials announced on Saturday that 889 more people had died of COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours.

The figure was the second-highest daily tally since the epidemic emerged in Italy five weeks ago. Italy�s total fatalities now stand at 10,023.