Hundreds feared dead after cyclone Chido strikes Mayotte

Hundreds of people are feared dead after powerful Cyclone Chido struck the island of Mayotte, according to the prefect of the French overseas department. National mourning has been declared in France.

Cyclone Chido made landfall in Mayotte on Saturday, leaving a trail of destruction across the island, with footage showing shanty towns completely wiped out. The cyclone was the most powerful to hit the French territory since 1934, according to meteorologists.

“I think that there are some several hundred dead, perhaps we will approach a thousand,” said François-Xavier Bieuville, prefect of Mayotte, in an interview with Mayotte la 1ère. “It is extremely difficult to have a count.”

Bieuville explained that the true death toll will be challenging to determine, partly due to the Muslim tradition of burying the dead within 24 hours. “Some deaths will not be counted,” he said. The island is also a destination from migrants from Comoros and Somalia, who may have entered illegally and thus will be hard to track down, according to France 24.

As of Monday evening, the confirmed death toll stood at 21, with more than 1,400 injured, according to officials. A massive response team has been dispatched from France to assist with rescue and aid efforts. Additional help has also been sent from nearby Réunion, another French overseas department off the coast of Africa.

“I will be traveling to Mayotte in the coming days to support our fellow citizens, civil servants, and the emergency services that have been mobilized,” French President Emmanuel Macron stated. “Faced with this tragedy which is upsetting each of us, I will declare national mourning.”

Mayotte, one of France’s poorest territories, faces significant challenges in terms of infrastructure and development. The island has a large population living in informal settlements or shanty towns, with inadequate housing, roads, and emergency services that leave it especially vulnerable to natural disasters.