The French territory of Mayotte is facing a catastrophic death toll, with up to 1,000 people feared dead after Cyclone Chido struck the Indian Ocean island, according to local authorities.
Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville described the situation as dire, telling local media: “There may be several hundred dead, possibly nearing a thousand or more, given the sheer violence of this event.” The full scale of the disaster remains unclear as communication lines across the island have been destroyed.
So far, at least 11 deaths have been confirmed, with nine critically injured and 246 others reported as wounded. Officials fear the death toll will rise significantly as rescue operations continue.
Cyclone Chido, which swept through the southeastern Indian Ocean, also caused destruction on nearby islands, including Comoros and Madagascar. However, Mayotte was directly in the storm’s path, experiencing the worst cyclone impact in 90 years.
The storm brought winds exceeding 136 mph, tearing metal roofs from homes, flattening entire neighborhoods, and uprooting trees. Boats were overturned or sunk, and widespread infrastructure damage has been reported, including the destruction of Mayotte’s main hospital and airport.
France’s new Prime Minister François Bayrou, who assumed office on December 13, described the damage to public infrastructure as severe. The French government has deployed 1,600 police and gendarmerie officers to assist with rescue efforts and maintain order amid fears of looting.
Mayotte, with a population of just over 300,000 spread across two main islands located about 500 miles off Africa’s east coast, has been left reeling from the cyclone’s devastation. Local residents are grappling with flattened neighborhoods and widespread power outages as relief efforts get underway.
This disaster highlights the vulnerability of remote island territories to extreme weather events, which are becoming increasingly frequent and severe.
