The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is “several hundreds” and could be close to 1,000, the island’s top government official told the local broadcaster on Sunday.
Mayotte prefect François-Xavier Bieuville told TV channel Mayotte la 1ere: “I think there are a few hundred dead, maybe we are close to a thousand. Even thousands. …Given the violence of this event.”
He said it was extremely difficult to get an exact number after the Indian Ocean island was lashed by the intense tropical cyclone on Saturday, causing widespread destruction. The French Interior Ministry confirmed at least 11 deaths and more than 250 injuries in Mayotte earlier Sunday, but said this was expected to increase significantly.
Mayotte in the southeastern Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa is the poorest island in France and the poorest area in the European Union. Bieuville said the worst destruction has been seen in the slums of metal huts and informal structures that mark much of Mayotte.
Referring to the official death toll so far, he said: “This figure is not plausible when you see the images of the slums.”
Chido blew through the southeastern Indian Ocean on Friday and Saturday, also battering the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. It has now made landfall in Mozambique on the African mainland.
Mayotte was directly in the cyclone’s path and suffered extensive damage on Saturday, officials said. The local prefect said it was the worst cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Saturday evening after an emergency meeting in Paris that there were fears the death toll in Mayotte “will be high” and that the island had been devastated. Prime Minister François Bayrou, who took office on Friday, said public infrastructure had been seriously damaged or destroyed, including the main hospital and airport.
A photo taken on December 15, 2024 shows residents sitting along a road among piles of rubble of metal sheets and wood after Cyclone Chido hit the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean
This photo provided by the French military on Sunday, December 15, 2024, shows a damaged house in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean
This photo provided by the French army on Sunday, December 15, 2024, shows soldiers addressing the population in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean
According to the French weather service, Chido brought winds of more than 220 km per hour, making it a Category 4 cyclone, the second strongest on the scale.
France wants to open an air and sea bridge to Mayotte
Mayotte has just over 300,000 inhabitants, spread over two large islands. In some parts, entire neighborhoods of metal huts and huts were razed to the ground, while residents reported many trees uprooted, boats overturned or sunk and electricity supplies cut.
Chad Youyou, a resident of Hamjago in the north of the island, posted videos on Facebook showing extensive damage in his village and in the surrounding fields and hills, where almost every tree had been razed to the ground.
“Mayotte is destroyed – we are destroyed,” he said.
Rescuers and firefighters were sent from France and the nearby French territory of Réunion, and supplies were also brought in by military aircraft and ships. Damage to the airport’s control tower allowed only military aircraft to fly in.
Patrice Latron, the prefect of Réunion, said authorities plan to build an air and sea bridge from Réunion to Mayotte. About 800 more rescue workers would be sent in the coming days and more than 80 tons of supplies had been flown in or in transit by ship. Some of the priorities included restoring electricity and access to drinking water, Latron said.
The French Interior Ministry said 1,600 police and state police officers have been deployed to “help the population and prevent possible looting.”
This photo, provided by the French military on Sunday, December 15, 2024, shows palm trees during high winds in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean
This photo provided by the French army on Sunday, December 15, 2024, shows soldiers patrolling in a military truck in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused widespread damage with reports of several fatalities
A photo taken on December 15, 2024 shows a pile of rubble of metal plates, wood, furniture and belongings after Cyclone Chido hit the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was closely monitoring the situation as Pope Francis offered prayers for the cyclone victims during a visit Sunday to the French Mediterranean island of Corsica.
The cyclone rages across northern Mozambique
Chido continued its eastward trajectory into northern Mozambique, while further inland landlocked Malawi and Zimbabwe warned they may have to evacuate people due to flooding.
In Mozambique, UNICEF said Cabo Delgado province, home to about 2 million people, was the first region to be affected and many homes, schools and health facilities were partially or completely destroyed.
UNICEF Mozambique spokesman Guy Taylor said communities faced the prospect of being cut off from schools and health facilities for weeks, and Mozambican authorities warned there was a high risk of landslides.
December to March is cyclone season in the southeastern Indian Ocean and southern Africa has been ravaged by a series of strong cyclones in recent years. Cyclone Idai killed more than 1,300 people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe in 2019. Cyclone Freddy caused more than a thousand deaths in several countries last year.
The cyclones carry the risk of floods and landslides, but stagnant ponds can also later lead to deadly outbreaks of the water-borne diseases cholera, dengue fever and malaria.
Studies say cyclones are getting worse due to climate change. They could leave poor countries in southern Africa, which contribute only a tiny bit to global warming, behind and face major humanitarian crises. In doing so, they underline their call for more help from rich countries to cope with the consequences of climate change.