Fifty relatives of COVID-19 victims in Italy filed complaints on Wednesday over the handling of the pandemic, the first such legal group action in the country.

Italy is one of the worst affected countries worldwide by the pandemic, having registered 235,763 infections and 34,114 deaths, according to data from the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

"We don't want revenge, we want justice," AFP news agency quotes Stefano Fusco, 31, who created a group on Facebook to reach out to others in similar situations after his grandfather died of the virus in a care home in March.

The complaints were filed at the prosecutors' office in Bergamo, the city in northern Italy worst hit by the pandemic, "because it has become the symbol of this tragedy, though they come from across the country," Fusco said.

Bergamo prosecutors are conducting a wide-ranging investigation into the health crisis. Local families blame tardiness in enforcing a red zone, as well as years of cuts to healthcare across the northern Lombardy region.

The Facebook page "Truth and Justice for COVID-19 victims" currently has over 55,000 members.

Members have been detailing their ordeals and how their loved ones fell victim during the pandemic’s peak which saw hundreds of patients die every day.

"We are submitting them (complaints) to see whether laws have been broken, and will evaluate the next steps after that," Fusco said.