Death toll reaches 13 in Japan earthquake as European wildfire evacuations exceed 300,000

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced that the death toll from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake in southwestern Japan has risen to 13, with over 9,000 individuals placed in emergency shelters. Search operations persist in Kumamoto prefecture for missing persons trapped following the collapse of a commercial center and a paper mill, alongside severe infrastructure damage.

Simultaneously, record heat continues to fuel uncontrollable wildfires across southern Europe, pushing total evacuations in France and Spain past 300,000. Blazes remain active near Bordeaux and Madrid, marking the largest wildfire outbreak in Spanish history. French authorities have distributed 1.5 million protective masks to shield residents from smoke as regional temperatures are expected to climb further.

Sources: Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero.