Hundreds feared dead as Cyclone Chido hits French island of Mayotte

Hundreds of people are presumed dead on the French territory of Mayotte after Cyclone Chido hit the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville told the Mayotte la 1ère radio station that no official death toll is available, one day after the storm struck the islands.

However, he said: “I think there are certainly several hundred,” and added that it was possible that the death toll could reach the thousands.

More than 250 were injured in the storm, which also hit Madagascar and Mozambique.

Acting Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Saturday evening that the situation in the territory was catastrophic. He is expected to visit the devastated archipelago on Monday.

Poorly built houses had been destroyed, he said. The archipelago has a population of around 310,000.

President Emmanuel Macron highlighted the plight of Mayotte’s residents during a meeting with Pope Francis on the Mediterranean island of Corsica on Sunday.

“I would like to think of our fellow citizens on Mayotte who have experienced the worst in the past few hours and some of whom have lost everything, lost their lives,” Macron said.

Severe damage reported

Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, mayor of the capital Mamoudzou, told BFMTV that many people had been injured and that the damage was severe. Roads were blocked, some areas were cut off and many residents were without power, he said.

There was also damage to the main island’s airport, according to the report.

The Météo France weather service said winds of more than 220 kilometres per hour had struck the territory.

The authorities on the archipelago had urged residents to seek shelter in robust buildings and to stay indoors before the cyclone struck.

In Mozambique, where the storm reached speeds of up to 240 kilometres per hour, Chido destroyed and damaged numerous homes, schools and health facilities in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

According to the Mozambican Centre for Disaster Management, the power grid has collapsed in Cabo Delgado and the neighbouring province of Nampula, making rescue work more difficult.