Fears of Humanitarian Crisis on Mayotte After Cyclone
The New York Times
The official death toll so far is 14, but there are fears that the number killed in the French territory by Tropical Cyclone Chido could be much higher.
Emergency workers are racing to rescue survivors on Monday from the wreckage of homes, schools and businesses in Mayotte, a French territory off the eastern coast of Africa that was devastated by Tropical Cyclone Chido over the weekend.
At least 14 people were killed and more than 250 were injured in Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, according to preliminary figures, and there were fears that the death toll could be higher.
“I think that there will be several hundred” deaths, François-Xavier Bieuville, France’s top-ranking representative on the archipelago, told a local news channel.
“Maybe we will be closer to a thousand, maybe several thousand,” added Mr. Bieuville.
France’s interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said from Mayotte’s main island on Monday that it would take days to establish a death toll, although the ministry said that it was likely that they be unable to count all the victims.
Many residents are Muslims, who in keeping with tradition try to bury their dead within 24 hours. And about a third of the territory’s 320,000 people are undocumented, the ministry said, adding to the challenge of compiling an accurate toll.
