With black masks and silence, Spain mourns its coronavirus dead

A rope holds a Spanish flag with a black ribbon on a balcony of a house after Spanish government declared 10-day official mourning for coronavirus victims, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Ronda, Spain, May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Jon Nazca

MADRID (Reuters) - Grieving Spaniards wore black and fell silent across the nation at midday on Wednesday at the start of 10 days of mourning for more than 27,000 dead from the coronavirus crisis.

Some people donned black face masks as parliament stopped for a minute, the royal family stood outside the Zarzuela Palace and flags flew at half-mast to honour those lost during one of Spain's most traumatic episodes in its modern history.