Cyclone Chido causes hundreds of deaths in Mayotte islands in Indian Ocean, officials say

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) – The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is “several hundreds” and could be close to 1,000, the island’s top official told local television on Sunday.

Mayotte prefect François-Xavier Bieuville told the television station Mayotte la 1ere that “I think there are a few more hundreds dead, maybe we will come close to a thousand.”

He said it was “extremely difficult” to get an accurate figure right now after the Indian Ocean islands were hit by the intense tropical cyclone on Saturday, causing widespread destruction. Officials had confirmed at least 11 deaths in Mayotte earlier Sunday, but said it was expected to rise.

Chido has now made landfall on Africa’s east coast, where aid organizations are warning of more loss of life and serious damage in northern Mozambique.

The tropical cyclone blew through the southeastern Indian Ocean and also affected the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. Mayotte was directly in its path and suffered extensive damage on Saturday, officials said. The local prefect said it was the worst cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years.

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French Interior Minister Bruno Retaileau said on Saturday evening after an emergency meeting in Paris that there were fears that the death toll in Mayotte “will be high” and that the island had been largely destroyed.

Prime Minister François Bayrou, who took office on Friday, said public infrastructure in Mayotte had been severely damaged or destroyed, including the main hospital and airport. He said many people living in unsafe huts in slums have been exposed to very serious risks.

Chido brought winds of over 220 km/h (136 mph), according to the French weather service, making it a Category 4 cyclone, the second strongest on the scale.

Mayotte has a population of just over 300,000 spread over two main islands about 800 kilometers (500 miles) off the east coast of Africa. It is France’s poorest island and the EU’s poorest region. In some parts, entire neighborhoods were flattened, while local residents reported that many trees had been uprooted and boats had been overturned or sunk.

The French interior ministry said 1,600 police and gendarmerie officers have been deployed to “assist the population and prevent potential looting.”

More than 100 rescuers and firefighters have been deployed to Mayotte from France and the nearby region of Reunion, and a further reinforcement of 140 people was due to be sent on Sunday. Supplies were rushed in on military planes and ships.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was closely monitoring the situation as Pope Francis prayed for victims of the cyclone while visiting the French Mediterranean island of Corsica on Sunday.

Chido continued its easterly track and made landfall early Sunday in mainland Mozambique, where emergency officials had warned 2.5 million people could be affected in two northern provinces, Cabo Delgado and Nampula. Landlocked Malawi and Zimbabwe are also bracing to be hit, with both countries warning they may have to evacuate people from low-lying areas due to flooding.

In Mozambique, the United Nations Children’s Fund said Cabo Delgado province, home to about 2 million people, had been hit hard.

“Many homes, schools and health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed and we are working closely with the government to ensure the continuity of essential basic services,” UNICEF said. “While we are doing everything we can, additional support is urgently needed.”

UNICEF Mozambique spokesman Guy Taylor said in a video posted by the group from the regional capital of Cabo Delgado that along with the immediate impact of the cyclone, communities now face the prospect of being cut off from schools and health facilities for weeks.

December to March is cyclone season in the southeastern Indian Ocean, and southern Africa has been hit by a number of strong ones in recent years. In 2019, Cyclone Idai killed more than 1,300 people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Cyclone Freddy left more than 1,000 dead in several countries last year.

The cyclones carry the risk of floods and landslides, but stagnant pools of water can later trigger deadly outbreaks of the waterborne disease cholera as well as dengue fever and malaria.

Studies say cyclones are getting worse due to climate change. They can leave poor countries in southern Africa, which contribute little to global warming, to deal with major humanitarian crises, underscoring their call for more help from rich nations to deal with the effects of climate change.

Corbet reported from Paris.