Hungary's government has extended a freeze on retail mortgage interest rates until the end of June, also widening the scope of the measure to mortgages with rates fixed for up to five years, Economic Development Minister Marton Nagy said in a statement.

Nagy said the extended measure would apply to an additional 66,000 contracts to shield borrowers from a surge in borrowing costs driven by sharp central bank rate rises to curb inflation and rein in the forint from successive record lows. (Reporting by Gergely Szakacs and Krisztina Than)