Probably thousands dead
Cyclone raged at 220 km/h: island paradise destroyed
Cyclone "Chido" hit the island group of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean at a speed of more than 220 km/h at the weekend. Entire villages were razed to the ground. The authorities fear thousands of deaths. The cyclone was the strongest to hit Mayotte in more than 90 years.
Helpers are currently searching for survivors at full speed. There is hope of finding people alive, said Colonel Alexandre Jouassard from the Interministerial Crisis Center on France 2 radio, adding that victims could still be found several days after the storm.
Mayotte is a French overseas department located between Madagascar and the African mainland (Mozambique) and has a population of around 321,000. Mayotte consists of two main islands.
The coming hours are very important. We have sent teams specialized in searching in rubble. That is our priority.
Oberst Alexandre Jouassard vom interministeriellen Krisenzentrum
"The death toll may not be known for several days. "It will take days and days," said France's acting interior minister Bruno Retailleau during a visit to the archipelago.
On Sunday evening, local prefect François-Xavier Bieuville told the Mayotte la 1ère radio station about the death toll: "I think there are certainly several hundred people." It is also possible that thousands of people died in the storm.
Supply difficult
Meanwhile, health care at the scene of the disaster proved difficult. France's acting health minister Geneviève Darrieussecq spoke on France 2 of a "very deteriorated situation, with a very damaged hospital and non-functioning health centers." She added that particular vigilance was now needed with regard to communicable diseases caused by the consumption of contaminated water or spoiled food, for example.
Many areas inaccessible to aid workers for the time being
Rescue workers made their way to the overseas territories on Monday to search for survivors and restore supplies. The area was still largely inaccessible to aid workers, as civil security spokesman Jouassard said. French President Emmanuel Macron has called an emergency meeting on Mayotte, as reported by BFMTV.
Cyclone moved on to the African mainland
"Chido" then made its way to Mozambique on the African mainland. The storm reached speeds of up to 240 kilometers per hour there. According to the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, it destroyed and damaged numerous houses, schools and health facilities in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
The region was "severely affected", even if the extent of the destruction is still unclear. According to the Mozambican Center for Civil Protection, the power grid in Cabo Delgado and the neighboring province of Nampula collapsed, making rescue work difficult.
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