Cyclone Chido sees ‘a number of hundred’ useless as devastating harm brought about to French territory of Mayotte

The French territory of Mayotte has suffered huge damage due to a monster cyclone named Chido, which has left “several hundreds’ of citizens injured and dead in its wake.

Located in the Indian Ocean, France’s Interior Ministry released the news today (December 15) about the deaths. However, they warned its not wast to pin point how many have perished in the wake of the weather event, due to the cyclone breaking most lines of communication. They added their are fears the death and injury toll will continue to rise as the initial battering passes.

A hospital in Mayotte reported that nine people were in critical condition in the hospital and 246 others were injured. Hitting the southeastern Indian Ocean, the cyclone has also affected the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar.

Most recently, the death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is thought to be “several hundred” and may be close to 1,000, the island’s top government official has said.

Mayotte Prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville told TV station Mayotte la 1ere that “I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we’ll get close to a thousand”.

The widespread destruction makes it very difficult to confirm figures, but they fear the worst. Mayotte is off the coast of Africa and is France’s poorest island and the poorest territory in the European Union. This widespread destruction will supposedly take months – or even years – to recover from.

Mayotte was directly in the cyclone’s path and suffered extensive damage on Saturday. Officials said it was the worst cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years. Chido brought winds in excess of 220kph (136mph), according to the French weather service, making it a category 4 cyclone, the second strongest on the scale.

Officials said 1,600 police and gendarmerie officers have been deployed to “help the population and prevent potential looting”. They claim that mass destruction is often an incentive for criminals to swoop in and steal.

From France, President Emmanuel Macron said he was closely watching the situation and would act if more assistance is needed. Pope Francis has also offered prayers for the victims of the cyclone while on a visit on Sunday to the island of Corsica.

The Prime Minister of the territory, Francois Bayrou, only took office on Friday, but said their island is suffering huge damage. The buildings involved in the incident include hospitals and schools.

Entire neighbourhoods are said to be flattened, while local residents reported many trees had been uprooted and boats had been flipped or sunk.

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