Building collapses in Messina following explosion as disasters hit Europe and Japan

In Messina, Italy, an explosion triggered the collapse of a building in the Pistunina coastal district, leaving at least seven people missing and three injured. Local authorities activated internal emergency protocols at the local hospital as search operations got underway.

Meanwhile, emergency teams in Japan continue operations after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Kumamoto prefecture left 13 people dead and displaced more than 9,000 residents. Search efforts remain active at a Kashima shopping mall and a destroyed paper mill.

In Europe, severe wildfires in France and Spain have displaced over 300,000 people. French officials deployed 1.5 million FFP2 masks to combat dense smoke near Bordeaux, while Spanish crews battle widespread blazes near Madrid.

Sources: Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero.