Fatima Sana heads to England for The Hundred

Emergency responders in southwestern Japan are racing against time to locate survivors trapped in rubble following a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that killed at least 13 people in the Kumamoto region of Kyushu island. The powerful tremor, which struck at a shallow depth of ten kilometres, flattened residential homes, triggered severe fires, ruptured critical bridges, and cut electricity to nearly 37,000 households. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed the death toll during an official address in Tokyo, while chief cabinet spokesman Minoru Kihara noted that at least seven individuals suffered severe injuries and more than 9,000 residents sought safety across hundreds of emergency evacuation shelters. Search operations remain heavily concentrated in the town of Kashima, where part of the Aeon Mall collapsed after a gas explosion ripped through the structure shortly after the primary quake. Rescue teams in specialised gear navigated twisted steel girders and fallen concrete inside the shopping centre, where at least two women lost their lives and eight others were pulled from the debris. Meanwhile, in Yatsushiro city, search crews continue to look for nine workers unaccounted for at a Nippon Paper Industries plant after a large smokestack collapsed onto the facility below. The seismic shock registering at the maximum level on Japan’s intensity scale caused widespread logistical disruption across Kyushu island, derailing a cargo train, suspending high-speed bullet train lines, and causing structural collapses at the historic centuries-old Kumamoto Castle. In response, the Japanese military has deployed 3,600 personnel alongside 20 reconnaissance aircraft to support disaster relief efforts, clear impassable roads, and assess localised damage in remote communities.

At least five people have died and 41 others remain missing after a passenger ferry caught fire while sailing off Indonesia’s Madura Island, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation. According to Indonesian authorities, the ferry was carrying at least 250 passengers and crew when the blaze erupted during its voyage from Surabaya in East Java to Makassar in South Sulawesi. The captain alerted rescue authorities after the fire broke out early in the morning. Within hours, emergency teams launched a major operation involving rescue vessels and other maritime agencies to evacuate passengers from the burning ship. Officials said the fire rapidly spread across the ferry, leaving much of the vessel engulfed in flames. Many passengers gathered at the bow and bridge while waiting for help, while others were forced to jump into the sea to escape the intense heat and thick smoke. Videos circulating on local media showed heavy black smoke rising from the ferry as passengers wearing life jackets crowded onto lifeboats. Other footage captured desperate scenes of people entering the water as rescue teams threw lifebuoys and pulled survivors aboard nearby vessels. Search and rescue teams have so far recovered five bodies and rescued a large number of passengers. However, 41 people are still unaccounted for, and the operation continues with authorities searching the surrounding waters. Officials said emergency crews responded immediately after receiving the distress call and continue to coordinate efforts to locate the missing. Medical teams are also providing treatment to survivors rescued from the sea. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Maritime authorities have launched an investigation to establish how the blaze started and whether any safety violations contributed to the incident. Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, depends heavily on ferry transport for inter-island travel.