The total number of deaths registered in Moscow rose sharply in April compared with the same month last year and was also significantly higher than the number officially confirmed as having been caused by the novel coronavirus, official data showed.

This raises the possibility that the official death toll from Covid-19 seriously understates the spread of the virus in the Russian capital, Reuters reports.

The data published shows Moscow recorded 11,846 deaths in total in April, the first month when the city recorded a large number of deaths caused by Covid-19. That is 18 per cent more deaths than recorded in April 2019.