Prosecutors questioned the Italian prime minister and two ministers over their handling of the coronavirus crisis, in an investigation into whether more should have been done to save lives, AFP reported.

The government imposed a national lockdown on March 10, but prosecutors in the hard-hit region of Lombardy have launched an investigation into whether the towns of Nembro and Alzano should have been quarantined sooner.

Chief prosecutor Maria Cristina Rota and her team questioned Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte along with Health Minister Roberto Speranza and Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese on the issue, the prime minister's office said.

Rota told reporters the questioning in the prime minister's office occurred “in a relaxed atmosphere of institutional cooperation”, without elaborating.