French Prime Minister François Bayrou believes dozens of people died when Cyclone Chido struck the French Indian Ocean province of Mayotte on December 14, not thousands as some feared.
Bayrou told BFMTV he believes the “worrying and sometimes terrifying numbers that have been put forward will never materialize in reality.”
The confirmed death toll on Mayotte so far has been 35, but in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, local prefect François-Xavier Beauviel feared the number would “certainly be several hundred” and could reach the thousands.
The governor told France Info radio on Tuesday that field investigations are progressing well, “which allows us to believe that we will confirm this number of 35.”
Defending his initial statements, Beauviel insisted: “I was never an alarmist, and I simply could not determine the number of casualties.”
Officials said it was difficult to determine the extent of deaths following the disaster 10 days ago, due to the inaccessibility of many areas on the island of Mayotte and the fact that the victims were buried within 24 hours according to Islamic traditions.
There is also uncertainty about the true population of Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean.
Its official population is 320,000, but authorities estimate that between 100,000 and 200,000 illegal immigrants may also live there.
“I think (the death toll) will be in the tens, not the thousands,” the Prime Minister told BFMTV on Monday night.
The archipelago is one of the poorest regions of France, with many of its residents living in shantytowns.
Typhoon Chido was the worst storm to hit the region in 90 years, bringing winds of up to 260 kilometers per hour (160 mph) and leveling areas where people lived in metal-roofed shacks.
France held a national day of mourning in the wake of the hurricane on Monday. President Emmanuel Macron visited the area last week and was harassed by angry locals who demanded more aid in devastated areas.
Some survivors remained for a week without water, communications or electricity.
Beauville said authorities restored water to key points in the area on Tuesday. “Even if delivering this water is still difficult at times, our citizens have water.”
He also said that there is no longer a fuel shortage and cars can now be filled.
The Prime Minister had earlier said that the field hospital would start functioning by Tuesday morning.
Cyclone Chido moved to the African continent after hitting the island of Mayotte, killing 120 people In Mozambique And 13 in Malawi.
