Several hundred people have been confirmed killed after the worst cyclone in almost a century ripped through the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday, uprooting trees, tearing houses apart and pounding the impoverished archipelago’s already weak infrastructure.
According to reports, rescuers have been dispatched to the islands, which lie between the coast of Mozambique and Madagascar, but their efforts are likely to be hindered by damage to airports and electricity distribution in an area where clean drinking water is subject to chronic shortages.
Speaking to Mayotte’s la 1ere TV station on Sunday, the archipelago’s prefect, François-Xavier Bieuville, said the confirmed toll of 11 dead was likely to soar over the coming days.
“I think there will certainly be several hundreds, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousands,” he said.
Bieuville said that it would be very difficult to reach a final count given that most residents were Muslim and so traditionally would bury their dead within 24 hours.
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Establishing an accurate toll will be doubly difficult given that France’s interior ministry estimates about 100,000 people live clandestinely on Mayotte.
Some of them did not dare to venture out and seek assistance, “fearing it would be a trap” designed to remove them from Mayotte,” said Ousseni Balahachi, a former nurse.
The mayor of Mayotte’s capital of Mamoudzou, Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, had earlier told Agence France-Presse that nine people had been seriously injured when Cyclone Chido hit and were fighting for their lives in hospital, while 246 more were badly hurt.
“The hospital is hit, the schools are hit. Houses are totally devastated,” he said, adding that the cyclone had “spared nothing”.
One local resident, Ibrahim, told AFP of “apocalyptic scenes” as he made his way through the main island, having to clear blocked roads for himself.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
