Written by Michelle Rose
PARIS (Reuters) – Several hundred and perhaps thousands may have been killed by Cyclone Chido in the French archipelago of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, a senior French official said on local media channel Mayotte La 1er on Sunday.
“I think there will definitely be several hundred, and maybe we will reach a thousand, or even several thousand,” local governor François-Xavier Beauville told the channel.
In response to a question about the death toll reaching several hundred, the French Interior Ministry said: “It will be difficult to count all the victims” and said that no number could be determined at this stage.
French meteorology said that Hurricane Chido swept through the island of Mayotte overnight, carrying winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour and causing damage to temporary housing, government buildings and a hospital. The forecaster said this is the strongest storm to hit the islands in more than 90 years.
Authorities said it was difficult to confirm the exact death toll after the cyclone, which also raised concerns about access to food, water and sanitation.
A French Interior Ministry official said earlier: “With regard to the number of deaths, the matter will be complicated, because the island of Mayotte is an Islamic land where the dead are buried within 24 hours.”
Mayotte, about 8,000 kilometers from Paris and a four-day boat trip away, is much poorer than the rest of France and has suffered from gang violence and social unrest for decades.
Tensions escalated earlier this year due to water shortages.
