Hopes were fading of finding survivors alive in the rubble of a powerful earthquake that struck Morocco, as rescue efforts entered a fourth day on Tuesday with the death toll creeping up to nearly 2,900 people. The quake on Friday night with a magnitude of at least 6.8 was centered in the High Atlas Mountains, not far from the major city of Marrakesh. It was the most powerful to strike that area in at least a century, flattening fragile mud brick houses in the poor, rural villages that were the hardest hit. Morocco’s government has drawn some criticism for what has been seen as a sluggish response and a seeming reluctance to accept a deluge of offers to send in expert international teams and aid. But a government spokesman pushed back against that criticism late on Sunday, saying the authorities “were working to intervene quickly, effectively and successfully.”But King Mohammad VI, who calls the shots on all the most important matters of state in Morocco, and other authorities have released little information since the earthquake struck, updating casualty figures infrequently and making few public statements.

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Persons: King Mohammad VI Locations: Morocco, Marrakesh