Tuesday, December 16, 2024 -Up to 1,000 people
in the French territory of Mayotte could be de@d after a devastating cyclone
tore through the region, according to the island’s top official.
Mayotte, a remote island in the Indian Ocean, is one of several
countries to be impacted by Cyclone Chido, which has wrecked local
infrastructure and left "several hundreds" potentially de@d.
Speaking to local media, Mayotte Prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville said: "I think there are some several hundred de@d, maybe we’ll get close to a thousand, even thousands… given the violence of this event."
The official said it was currently "extremely difficult" to
get an exact number after practically all communication lines on the island
have been taken out by the cyclone.
At least 11 people have d!ed so far, with nine more confirmed to be
critically injured. A hospital in Mayotte reported that 246 others were injured
with fears the de@th toll will rise significantly over the coming days.
The tropical cyclone blew through the southeastern Indian Ocean, also
affecting the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar.
Mayotte was directly in the path of the cyclone and suffered extensive
damage on Saturday, Dec. 14, officials said. The prefect of Mayotte said it was
the worst cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years.
The ministry said 1,600 police and gendarmerie officers have been deployed to
"help the population and prevent potential looting".
France’s new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who took office on
Friday, Dec. 13, said public infrastructure had been severely damaged or
destroyed by the cyclone, including the main hospital and the airport.
Chido brought winds in excess of 136mph, according to the French weather
service, ripping metal roofs off houses and destroying many small structures in
Mayotte, which has a population of just over 300,000 spread over two main
islands about 500 miles off Africa’s east coast.
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