Thousands feared dead after Tropical Cyclone Chido slams French territory of Mayotte
A local French official says hundreds, maybe thousands, were killed when Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte over the weekend.
Hundreds feared dead after Cyclone Chido slams into the French overseas territory of Mayotte
Video shows the aftermath of Cyclone Chico, which slammed into Mayotte with 140 mph winds. First responders are searching for survivors. Officials say they expect the death toll to be in the hundreds and possibly several thousand (Video Credit: Amalia Mazon via Storyful).
MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte — The most catastrophic cyclone to hit the French archipelago of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean in 90 years has possibly killed hundreds.
Mayotte, a French overseas department, is an archipelago located between Mozambique and Madagascar.
First responders are racing to find survivors after Cyclone Chido slammed into the islands on Saturday with 140 mph winds.
A photo taken on December 15, 2024 shows a pile of debris of metal sheets and wood after the cyclone Chido hit France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte. At least 14 people were killed in Mayotte when a fierce cyclone battered the French Indian Ocean territory, authorities said on December 15, 2024, with officials warning it will take days to know the full toll.
(KWEZI/AFP / Getty Images)
A French Civil Security spokesperson said Monday that parts of the islands remain inaccessible to rescuers.
"I think there will certainly be several hundreds, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousands," Mayott's prefect, Francois-Xavier Bieuville, told Reuters on Sunday.
France's Interior Ministry is reporting at least 11 people were killed by the storm, Reuters reports.
A photo taken on December 15, 2024 shows residents sitting by a road among piles of debris of metal sheets and wood after the cyclone Chido hit France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte.
(KWEZI/AFP / Getty Images)
Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte on Saturday. The state service confirmed it was the most dangerous cyclone to hit the island since 1934. The country was put under a cyclonic red alert, signaling imminent danger. The agency said a purple alert was also activated during the height of the storm, placing the entire population, including all emergency services, on lockdown.
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French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron issued a statement on social media saying that he is following the situation in Mayotte closely.
The management agency said reinforcements will continue to arrive in the coming days to provide relief and assistance to those affected by the disaster. And up to 800 Civil Security personnel are expected to be deployed to Mayotte to help.
Photos from Mayotte show emergency and medical personnel arriving on the island to assist in recovery.
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![A photo taken on December 15, 2024 shows a pile of debris of metal sheets, wood, furniture and belongings after the cyclone Chido hit France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte.]()
Image 1 of 6A photo taken on December 15, 2024 shows a pile of debris of metal sheets, wood, furniture and belongings after the cyclone Chido hit France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte. (KWEZI/AFP)
![The French A440M military aircraft transporting members of the Members of the French Civil protection and French firefighters and medical and emergency equipment, lands on the tarmac as part of an emergency response to bring aid to the small French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, almost cut off from the world after the passage of cyclone Chido, at the French Air Force Base 181 Saint-Denis-La Reunion "Lieutenant Roland Garros" in Sainte-Marie, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on December 15, 2024.]()
Image 2 of 6The French A440M military aircraft transporting members of the Members of the French Civil protection and French firefighters and medical and emergency equipment, lands on the tarmac as part of an emergency response to bring aid to the small French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, almost cut off from the world after the passage of cyclone Chido, at the French Air Force Base 181 Saint-Denis-La Reunion "Lieutenant Roland Garros" in Sainte-Marie, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on December 15, 2024. (Richard BOUHET / AFP))
![French military unload medical and emergency equipment from the A440M military aircraft, aboard of wich rescue teams were transported in an emergency response, bringing aid to the small French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, almost cut off from the world after the passage of cyclone Chido, at the French Air Force Base 181 Saint-Denis-La Reunion "Lieutenant Roland Garros" in Sainte-Marie, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on December 15, 2024. At least 14 people were killed in Mayotte when a fierce cyclone battered the territory, authorities said, with officials warning it will take days to know the full toll. Rescue workers and supplies are being rushed in by air and sea, but their efforts are likely to be hindered by damage to airports and electricity distribution in a territory where even clean drinking water was already subject to chronic shortages.]()
Image 3 of 6French military unload medical and emergency equipment from the A440M military aircraft, aboard of wich rescue teams were transported in an emergency response, bringing aid to the small French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, almost cut off from the world after the passage of cyclone Chido, at the French Air Force Base 181 Saint-Denis-La Reunion "Lieutenant Roland Garros" in Sainte-Marie, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on December 15, 2024. At least 14 people were killed in Mayotte when a fierce cyclone battered the territory, authorities said, with officials warning it will take days to know the full toll. Rescue workers and supplies are being rushed in by air and sea, but their efforts are likely to be hindered by damage to airports and electricity distribution in a territory where even clean drinking water was already subject to chronic shortages. (RICHARD BOUHET/AFP)
![Members of the French Civil protection and French firefighters walk on the tarmac following their landing aboard the A440M military aircraft, as part of an emergency response to bring aid to the small French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, almost cut off from the world after the passage of cyclone Chido, at the French Air Force Base 181 Saint-Denis-La Reunion "Lieutenant Roland Garros" in Sainte-Marie, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on December 15, 2024.]()
Image 4 of 6Members of the French Civil protection and French firefighters walk on the tarmac following their landing aboard the A440M military aircraft, as part of an emergency response to bring aid to the small French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, almost cut off from the world after the passage of cyclone Chido, at the French Air Force Base 181 Saint-Denis-La Reunion "Lieutenant Roland Garros" in Sainte-Marie, on the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, on December 15, 2024. (Richard BOUHET / AFP))
![A photo taken on December 15, 2024 shows a pile of debris of metal sheets, wood, furniture and belongings after the cyclone Chido hit France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte.]()
Image 5 of 6A photo taken on December 15, 2024 shows a pile of debris of metal sheets, wood, furniture and belongings after the cyclone Chido hit France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte. At least 14 people were killed in Mayotte when a fierce cyclone battered the French Indian Ocean territory, authorities said on December 15, 2024, with officials warning it will take days to know the full toll. (KWEZI/AFP)
![A photo taken on December 15, 2024 shows torn-off roofs of residential buildings after the cyclone Chido hit France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte.]()
Image 6 of 6A photo taken on December 15, 2024 shows torn-off roofs of residential buildings after the cyclone Chido hit France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte. (KWEZI/AFP)
More photos show the complete destruction of homes and businesses, with debris from buildings scattered all around the island.
Large sheets of deformed metal from the roofs litter the ground.
Cyclone Chido leaves multiple dead, destroys French archipelago of Mayotte
At least 11 people are dead on Mayotte after Cyclone Chido tore through the Island nation on Saturday. The storm burst through the island with winds of 140 mph.
Meteo-France told Reuters that Cyclone Chido damaged makeshift housing, government buildings and a hospital.
The storm hit the French archipelago with winds gusting at approximately 140 mph, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, used by the National Hurricane Center.