Cyclone Chido: At least 22 killed, over 1400 injured in France’s Mayotte

By  News On Air   Dec 17, 2024

In France’s Mayotte, at least, 22 deaths and more than 1400 injuries have been confirmed so far due to Cyclone Chido. A territory of France, Mayotte is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and the coast of Mozambique. Authorities said Hundreds or even thousands could be dead in the wreckage of the Cyclone. They said, With many areas still inaccessible, it could take days to determine the full extent of damage and deaths. Rescue workers have been searching for survivors amid the debris of shantytowns that were bowled over by 200 kilometres per hour winds.

Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, the mayor of the capital Mamoudzou, told Radio France Internationale on this morning that the ‘priority today is water and food’. Officials said the authorities in Mayotte were racing to get food and water to residents stricken by the weekend’s devastating cyclone and fighting to stop hunger, disease and lawlessness spreading in the French overseas territory.

At least 34 people have also been killed by Cyclone Chido in Mozambique since it made landfall there on Sunday, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA today said citing figures from the southern African country’s disaster agency.