In the French island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, at least “several hundred and “perhaps several thousand” deaths occurred last weekend as a result of Cyclone Chido. AFP reports this based on the authorities of the archipelago east of Mozambique.
Authorities say it is difficult to arrive at a final death toll because Islam, the dominant religion in the devastated areas, advocates that the dead be buried within 24 hours. “I think there will certainly be several hundred deaths. Maybe we are approaching a thousand, or even a few thousand,” François-Xavier Bieuville said on the public channel Mayotte la 1ère.
With its tropical maritime climate, Mayotte is regularly hit by violent storms, but Mayott la 1ère now speaks of “the most powerful and even destructive” cyclone in the island’s history. “It’s like we’ve been hit by an atomic bomb,” said one resident. Entire neighborhoods have been wiped out by natural disasters.
Cyclone Chido raged across the southeastern Indian Ocean on Friday and Saturday, causing heavy damage to the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. Eleven fishermen have gone missing in the Comoros who had gone out to sea earlier this week. Mayotte was directly in the path of the storm and was hit hard on Saturday.
The French Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, spoke of a “high” death toll in Mayotte after a crisis meeting. Prime Minister François Bayrou, who took office on Friday, reported that the island’s infrastructure had been badly damaged or destroyed, including the main hospital and the airport.
