According to authorities, it was challenging to determine the exact number of fatalities following the cyclone, which also raises questions over access to food, water, and sanitation.
A senior French official told local media outlet Mayotte La 1ere that Cyclone Chido may have killed hundreds or perhaps thousands of people in the French-colonized archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
Local prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville stated on the channel on Sunday, “I think there will certainly be several hundreds, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousands.”
The French interior ministry stated that “it will be difficult to account for all victims” and that a number could not be established at this time when asked about the several hundred deaths.
With winds of nearly 200 kph (124 mph), Cyclone Chido ravaged Mayotte overnight, causing damage to a hospital, government buildings, and temporary housing, according to Meteo-France. According to the forecaster, it was the greatest storm to slam the islands in over 90 years.
“It will be challenging.”
Authorities said it was challenging to determine the exact number of fatalities following the cyclone, which also sparked worries about access to food, water, and sanitary facilities.
Earlier, a French interior ministry official stated, “It’s going to be complicated for the toll, because Mayotte is a Muslim land where the dead are buried within 24 hours.”
Mayotte, which is around 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) from Paris and can be reached by boat in four days, is much poorer than the rest of France and has long struggled with social unrest and gang violence.
Earlier this year, a water crisis exacerbated tensions.
