Hundreds of people may have lost their lives on the French islands in the Indian Ocean, Mayotte, due to the cyclone “Chido”. French media report this consistently, citing local authorities.
“It will definitely be several hundred, and we might even be close to a thousand” Prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville said on local television. It will take several days to determine the exact number of the dead, the authorities said.
About a third of the approximately 320,000 people living on the archipelago reside in slums, which were largely destroyed in the disaster. The supply of electricity and water was interrupted. The delivery of aid goods is considered particularly difficult due to the infrastructure damage.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced that he will travel to Mayotte on Monday with 160 soldiers and firefighters to reinforce the 110 soldiers already sent from the French mainland to the islands.
The cyclone Chido struck Mozambique early Sunday morning, bringing stormy winds and heavy rainfall, according to local weather services.