Mayotte faces potential disaster as emergency workers scramble amidst catastrophic damage from Tropical Cyclone Chido, with a significant number of casualties feared.
**Humanitarian Crisis Looms in Mayotte Following Devastating Cyclone Chido**
**Humanitarian Crisis Looms in Mayotte Following Devastating Cyclone Chido**
Rescue operations underway as death toll rises and fears grow for the future of the affected population.
Emergency responders in Mayotte are urgently working to locate survivors amid the wreckage left by Tropical Cyclone Chido, which struck the French territory over the weekend. Preliminary reports indicate that at least 14 lives have been lost and over 250 individuals have suffered injuries in this impoverished archipelago in the Indian Ocean. French news sources describe a landscape that is now "unrecognizable," and local officials are warning of an impending humanitarian crisis.
François-Xavier Bieuville, France’s senior representative in Mayotte, expressed his concern that the actual death toll may be drastically underestimated. “I suspect that we will face several hundred casualties,” he stated during an interview, with speculations possibly rising to the thousands. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who visited the region, noted it could take several days before the true scale of the disaster is revealed.
Cyclone Chido, reportedly the most severe storm to impact Mayotte in nearly a century, brought with it winds exceeding 124 miles per hour, leading to extensive destruction. The cyclone also claimed lives in Mozambique, with local authorities indicating at least three fatalities there. President Emmanuel Macron has summoned an emergency meeting to address the dire situation as the island begins to recover from the calamity.
François-Xavier Bieuville, France’s senior representative in Mayotte, expressed his concern that the actual death toll may be drastically underestimated. “I suspect that we will face several hundred casualties,” he stated during an interview, with speculations possibly rising to the thousands. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who visited the region, noted it could take several days before the true scale of the disaster is revealed.
Cyclone Chido, reportedly the most severe storm to impact Mayotte in nearly a century, brought with it winds exceeding 124 miles per hour, leading to extensive destruction. The cyclone also claimed lives in Mozambique, with local authorities indicating at least three fatalities there. President Emmanuel Macron has summoned an emergency meeting to address the dire situation as the island begins to recover from the calamity.
