Hundreds of Dead from Cyclone “Chido” in the French Archipelago of Mayotte 

---

The authorities of the Mayotte archipelago in the Indian Ocean estimated on Sunday that “hundreds” or even “a few thousand” people may have perished due to Cyclone Chido.

• “Inferno”: Fire Consumes Hundreds of Homes in the Heart of Manila

• Floodwaters Recede in Bangladesh… Hundreds of Thousands in Shelters

On Saturday, Cyclone Shido devastated a significant portion of this French department, the poorest one, which has begun receiving aid, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The governor of the archipelago, François-Xavier Biéville, told the Mayotte la Première TV channel: “I believe there will certainly be hundreds of deaths, and we may approach a thousand or even a few thousand,” as the cyclone largely destroyed poor neighborhoods, where about one-third of the population lives.

• Among Them Arabs… Mexico Rescues Hundreds of Kidnapped Migrants

• Hundreds of African Migrants Victims of Organ Trafficking Voluntarily and Coerced

He added that it would be “very difficult to determine a final death toll” because most of the population is Muslim and traditionally buries their dead within a day of their passing.

On Sunday morning, a security source reported that the initial toll from the exceptional tropical cyclone was 14 deaths.

Abdou Wahid Soumaila, the mayor of Mamoudzou, the largest city in the archipelago, told AFP that nine people were critically injured and transferred to the Mayotte hospital, while 246 others suffered moderate injuries.

• Snowstorm Paralyzes Life in America, Power Outages Affect Hundreds of Thousands  

• Typhoon “Kong-Rey” Shuts Down Taiwan, Dozens of Casualties

He stated: “The damage affected the hospital and schools. Entire homes were destroyed. Nothing was spared.”

Extremely strong winds swept across the archipelago, uprooting power poles, trees, and ripping roofs off houses.

The authorities of Mayotte, home to 320,000 residents, had imposed a curfew on Saturday as Cyclone Chido approached the islands, located about 500 kilometers east of Mozambique, with winds reaching at least 226 km/h.

Chido is the most violent cyclone to hit Mayotte in over 90 years, according to the French weather service (Météo-France).

• West Africa: Record rains have killed hundreds of people

• Tropical Storm “Ewinia” Leaves 7 Dead in the Philippines

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is expected to visit Mayotte on Monday.

Reports from the field remain extremely scarce, as residents are confined to their homes in shock and deprived of water and electricity, according to a source familiar with the developments.

Meanwhile, La Réunion, another island in the Indian Ocean located about 1,400 kilometers on the other side of Madagascar, announced that it had started deploying human teams and medical equipment by air and sea as of Sunday.

• Australian Storms: 9 Dead, Winds Uproot Trees

• Devastating Storms: How has climate change led to catastrophic floods?

Pope Francis, during his visit to Corsica on Sunday, expressed his “spiritual” solidarity with the victims of “this tragedy.”

The alert level in the archipelago has been lowered to facilitate the movement of rescue teams, but authorities have urged residents to stay indoors and show “solidarity” in “this ordeal.”

Cyclone Chido moved northward toward Mozambique on Sunday morning, causing only minor damage in the neighboring Comoros Islands, with no reported casualties.