Japan earthquake death toll reaches 34 amid heat and outages

A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake has struck southwestern Japan, causing widespread damage and a rising death toll that has reached 34. Thousands of residents are without essential water and power services, a situation made more dire by extreme heat conditions exacerbated by El Nino weather patterns. The disaster led to collapsing buildings and ruptured roads, snarling supply chains. Significant structural damage was reported at Nippon Paper Industries' paper mill, and a possible gas explosion occurred at Aeon's shopping mall, contributing to nearly half of the fatalities. Authorities have not provided a clear timeline for the restoration of services.