Hundreds are feared dead as Cyclone Chido hits the French island of Mayotte

Hundreds of people are believed to have died in the French territory of Mayotte after Cyclone Chido hit the Indian Ocean archipelago.

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

However, he said: “I think it’s certainly several hundred,” adding that it was possible the death toll could be in 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 area was catastrophic. He is expected to visit the devastated archipelago on Monday.

Poorly built houses had been destroyed, he said. The archipelago has approximately 310,000 inhabitants.

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

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

Serious damage reported

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

According to the report, there was also damage to the main island’s airport.

The Météo France weather service said winds of more than 220 kilometers per hour had hit the area.

Authorities on the archipelago had urged residents to seek shelter in sturdy buildings and stay indoors before the cyclone struck.

In Mozambique, where the storm reached speeds of up to 150 miles per hour, Chido destroyed and damaged scores of homes, schools and health facilities in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.

According to the Mozambican Center for Disaster Management, the electricity grid has collapsed in Cabo Delgado and neighboring Nampula province, making rescue efforts more difficult.