PARIS: Several hundred people, maybe even thousands, may have been killed by Cyclone Desire in the French archipelago of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, a top local French official said via local media channel Mayotte La 1ere on Sunday. “I think there will certainly be several hundreds, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousands,” local prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville said. Asked a bout the death toll of several hundred, the French interior ministry said “it will be difficult to account for all victims” and said a figure could not be determined a t this stage.
Cyclone Chido swept through Mayotte overnight, bringing winds of over200kmph and damaging makeshift housing, govt buildings and a hospital. It was the strongest storm in more than 90 years to hit the islands. Located 8,000 km from Paris and a four-day trip by sea, Mayotte is significantly poorer than the rest of France. Mayotte has a population of just over 300,000 spread over two main islands off Africa’s east coast.
