Russia's coronavirus case tally passes 700,000

People rest on an embankment as cruise vessels sail near the Kremlin in Moscow

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The total number of cases of the novel coronavirus in Russia passed 700,000 on Wednesday, as the country reported 6,562 new infections in the past 24 hours.

The country's coronavirus crisis response centre said 173 people had died from the virus overnight, taking the official death toll to 10,667.

Total infections stand at 700,792. Russia says 472,511 people have recovered.

(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Alison Williams)