French President Emmanuel Macron plans a visit to Mayotte, a small group of islands in the Indian Ocean, following the devastating effects of Cyclone Chido in the French overseas territory.
Macron said in a post on X on Monday evening that he plans to make the trip in the coming days “to support our fellow citizens, the civil servants and the emergency services.” He also plans to declare national mourning.
In a preliminary report Monday evening, authorities said there were 21 dead and more than 1,400 injured, broadcaster France Info reported.
The final death toll is not expected to be confirmed for several days. On Sunday evening, local prefect François-Xavier Bieuville said hundreds, if not a thousand, could be killed.
Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte on Saturday with gusts that reached speeds of more than 220 kilometers per hour, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Many impoverished houses were destroyed. Thousands of households are without power and there are also problems with the water supply and the telephone network. Roads are blocked and some areas are cut off from the outside world.
The French overseas territory of Mayotte is located in the Indian Ocean, between the coast of the southeast African country Mozambique and the island state of Madagascar.
About 310,000 people live on the archipelago. Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte on Saturday with winds of more than 220 kilometers per hour, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Rescue workers in the overseas region urgently searched for survivors on Monday.
Colonel Alexandre Jouassard of the Interministerial Crisis Center told public television channel France 2 that there is still hope of finding people alive. “The next few hours are very important. We have deployed teams specialized in searching the rubble,” Jouassard said.
Even several days after the storm, victims could still be found, he said, adding: “This is our priority.”
Meanwhile, local health care is a challenge. France’s acting Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq described the situation on France 2 as “sharply deteriorated, with a seriously damaged hospital and non-functional health centers.”
She stressed the need for vigilance regarding communicable diseases, which may result from the consumption of contaminated water or spoiled food.
Since the storm hit Mayotte, Chido has made its way to Mozambique on the African mainland, where the storm reached speeds of up to 150 miles per hour.
It has destroyed and damaged scores of homes, schools and health facilities in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
