In Australia, one person has died, and around 300 homes and buildings have been destroyed as bushfires continue to burn across southeast Australia. Authorities said the fires, mainly affecting the state of Victoria and parts of New South Wales, have scorched about three lakh fifty thousand hectares, nearly twice the size of Greater London.
A state of emergency has been declared in Victoria, where thousands of firefighters and more than 70 aircraft are battling around 30 active blazes. Human remains were found in the village of Gobur, north of Melbourne, though the victim has not yet been identified. Smoke from the fires is affecting air quality across Victoria, including Melbourne. Authorities said the current crisis is the most severe in the region since the deadly 2019-2020 bushfires.