Hundreds feared dead in French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido, top official says | Global News Avenue

The death toll from Cyclone Chido on the French territory of Mayotte is in the “hundreds” and could even reach thousands, a senior government official on the French island of Mayotte told a local broadcaster on Sunday.

France sent rescue teams and supplies to its impoverished region in the Indian Ocean, which suffered widespread destruction.

François-Xavier Bieuville, the governor of Mayotte, told Mayotte la 1ere television: “I think there are around a few hundred dead, maybe we will be closer to a thousand. Even thousands. People…given the level of violence this incident had.”

He previously said it was the worst hurricane to hit Mayotte in 90 years.

Bierville said it was difficult to determine the exact number of casualties as Mayotte was hit by a severe tropical cyclone on Saturday, causing major damage to public infrastructure such as the airport, flattening communities and cutting off power supplies.

France’s interior ministry confirmed earlier on Sunday that at least 11 people had died and more than 250 were injured, but said it expected the number to rise significantly.

Mayotte, located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the African coast, is France’s poorest island and the European Union’s poorest territory. Its population is just over 300,000, spread over two main islands.

Bieuville said slums of metal shacks and informal buildings in much of Mayotte had suffered the most damage. Referring to the official death toll so far, he said: “When you see images of ghettos, the numbers are not credible.”

“I think the casualties are much higher,” he added.

Cheetos blew across the southwestern Indian Ocean on Friday and Saturday, also affecting the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. However, Mayotte was right in the hurricane’s path and bore the brunt of the damage. According to Météo-France, Chido brought winds of more than 220 km/h (136 mph), making it a Category 4 cyclone, the second strongest in that category.

Chido then made landfall in Mozambique on the African continent, and according to Mozambican authorities, there were fears that more than 2 million people in the north of the country could be affected.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his “thoughts” are with the people of Mayotte, where Interior Minister Bruno Reiterlot will travel to Mayotte on Monday. Reuterlot warned on Saturday night after an emergency meeting in Paris that the death toll “will be high”, while new Prime Minister François Bellew, who took office on Friday, said bases across Mayotte The facility was severely damaged or destroyed.

Pope Francis prayed for the victims during a visit to the French Mediterranean island of Corsica on Sunday.

Rescue workers and firefighters were dispatched from France and the nearby French territory of Reunion Island, and supplies were rushed in by military aircraft and ships. Damage to the airport control tower meant that only military aircraft could fly in.

Reunion Governor Patrice Latron said authorities planned to build an air and sea bridge between Reunion and Mayotte. About 800 more rescue workers will be dispatched in the coming days, and more than 80 tons of supplies have been flown or shipped. Lateran said some priorities are restoring power and drinking water.

France’s interior ministry said 1,600 police and gendarmes had been deployed to “help people and prevent potential looting.”

In some areas of Mayotte, entire communities of metal shacks and cabins were razed to the ground, and residents reported uprooted trees, boats overturned or sunk, and many areas without power.

Chad Youyou, a resident of Hamjago in the north of the island, posted a video on Facebook showing severe damage to his village and surrounding fields and hills, with almost all trees flattened.

“Mayotte is devastated … we are devastated,” he said.

Chido continued to wreak havoc as it moved eastward into northern Mozambique, while further inland Malawi and Zimbabwe warned they may have to evacuate due to flooding.

UNICEF said that in Mozambique, Cabo Delgado province, with a population of about 2 million, was the first area to be hit. Many houses, schools and medical facilities have been partially or completely destroyed.

Unicef ​​Mozambique spokesman Guy Taylor said communities faced the prospect of being disconnected from schools and health facilities for weeks, and Mozambican authorities warned of a high risk of landslides.

December to March is the cyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean and southern Africa, which have been hit by a series of strong cyclones in recent years. Cyclone Idai killed more than 1,300 people in 2019, mostly in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Last year, Hurricane Freddie killed more than 1,000 people in several countries in the Indian Ocean and southern Africa.

Cyclones bring the risk of flooding and landslides, and stagnant pools of water can subsequently trigger outbreaks of the deadly water-borne diseases cholera, dengue fever and malaria.

Research shows that cyclones are becoming more severe due to climate change. They could leave Africa’s poor countries, which have had minimal impact on global warming, having to contend with a massive humanitarian crisis, underscoring their calls for richer countries to provide more help to combat the effects of climate change.