Brazil virus victims' relatives mourn as deaths rise

Brazil has recorded more than 140,000 deaths from COVID-19 and seven months after the first reported case, the country is showing no signs of crushing the disease.

The country has registered over 4.6 million confirmed cases so far.

At the Novo Iguacu cemetery, the family of 78-year old Selma Maria Pedrito gathered to pay their respect to the matriarch who died just two days ago from the virus.

They join tens of thousands of Brazilian families mourning their losses during the pandemic.

"It's very sad, not only for Brazil, but for the world. The number of people who have died a cruel death, with their family unable to even say a decent goodbye," said Selma's son, 57-year-old Luis Mariano, mourning at her gravesite.

The pandemic shows little sign of abating with infection rates continuing to climb in many countries, including Brazil.

Specially built crypts to house the dead have been built in the Sao Francisco Xavier Cemetery, where many hundreds of the coronavirus victims have been laid to rest.

Earlier this month, a 3-ton monument was dedicated at a cemetery where many of Rio de Janeiro's COVID-19 victims have been buried.

The Infinity Memorial, a 39-meter (128-foot) long ribbon of undulating steel, was erected to pay tribute to those who died from coronavirus and provide families with a symbol of their loss in one of the worst affected cities in Brazil.

The memorial was designed by the Brazilian architect Crisa Santos, who had the idea of ​​building the work at the peak of the pandemic after visiting several cemeteries in the country.