Nearly 1,000 feared dead after Cyclone Chido rips through Mayotte

Close to 1,000 people may have been killed after Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, according to the island’s top official.

Mayotte Prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville told local TV: “I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we’ll get close to a thousand, even thousands… given the violence of this event.”

However, he said it was currently “extremely difficult” to get an exact number. Emergency workers sent from France and the nearby French department of Reunion are racing to find survivors and restore services due to the worst cyclone to hit the island in nearly a century.

France is using ships and military aircraft as part of its response. French civil security spokesperson Alexandre Jouassard told the France 2 news channel: “The next minutes and hours are very important.

“We are used to working in these conditions, and a few days after, you have pockets of survivors.” Chido caused extensive damage on Saturday, with the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar also affected, and the cyclone has now hit Mozambique.

Forecaster Meteo-France said Chido was the strongest storm to hit the islands in more than 90 years. Winds of more than 124mph (200kmh) ripped roofs off houses and destroyed numerous buildings.

Mayotte is an impoverished overseas department of France and is spread over two main islands about 500 miles (805km) off Africa’s east coast.

Sky News

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