‘Heavy’ toll feared after French island territory hit by cyclone Chido
Al Jazeera
Officials report at least two deaths, damage to properties as ‘unexpectedly violent’ cyclone hits island territory.
French officials are fearing a “heavy” death toll after Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte islands, leaving a trail of destruction on the overseas territory located in the Indian Ocean.
At least two people have been confirmed killed after the cyclone with gusts of high-speed wind barrelled through the French territory, obliterating shantytowns and damaging and destroying government buildings, the hospital and makeshift housing, according to French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou.
It has raised concerns about access to food, water and sanitation on the islands in the Indian Ocean, Bayrou told reporters after an evening inter-ministerial meeting on Saturday.
“Everyone understands that this was a cyclone that was unexpectedly violent,” Bayrou said.
Chido was also expected to make landfall on Sunday in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado or Nampula provinces after battering Mayotte.
