Several hundred feared dead after Cyclone Chido

The search for survivors in the Mayotte archipelago continued on Sunday after a cyclone lashed the French Indian Ocean territory.

The eventual death toll is feared to be in the thousands once the damage is fully assessed and with rescue workers still working to reach some communities.

Entire settlements were flattened when Cyclone Chido brought wind speeds of more than 225 km/h (140 mph), with the poorest living in makeshift shelters particularly hard hit.

Some of Mayotte’s 320,000 residents have said they are struggling with severe shortages of food, water and shelter.

A Mamoudzou resident waiting in line for supplies said: “We haven’t had water for three days, so it’s starting to be a lot.

“We’re trying to get the bare minimum to live, because we don’t know when the water will come back.”

Another said they had used a nearby school as a shelter, adding: “We can still shelter with our neighbors, and we’re still sticking together and being safe. We need everyone to hold hands.”

Impoverished communities in Mayotte, including undocumented migrants who have traveled to French territory to seek asylum, are believed to have been particularly hard hit due to the vulnerable nature of their housing.

Its population is heavily dependent on French financial aid and has long struggled with poverty, unemployment and political instability.

Around 75% of the population lives below the national poverty line and unemployment is around one in three.

Although some French aid and rescue workers have arrived in Mayotte, efforts to reach some communities are still ongoing.

Francois-Xavier Bieuville, prefect of the island, told local media that the death toll could rise significantly once the damage is fully assessed. He warned that “it will definitely be several hundred” and could reach the thousands.

The French Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, who is planning to visit the island, has recognized the “exceptional severity” of the cyclone and has assured that efforts are being intensified to help the population.

Cyclone Chido also brought strong winds and heavy rain to Mozambique, making landfall early Sunday about 25 miles south of the northern city of Pemba, weather services said.

The cyclone caused structural damage and power outages in the northern coastal provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado on Saturday morning, authorities said.