Clean-up ongoing in Mayotte after Cyclone Chido devastates French overseas territory

euronews (in English)

Chido brought winds in excess of 220kph when it made landfall on Saturday, according to the French weather service, ripping roofs off houses in the archipelago which has a population of just over 300,000.

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00:00Cleanup operations have begun in the French overseas territory of Mayotte, a day after

00:06Cyclone Chido barreled into the archipelago. The French Interior Ministry said it was proving

00:12difficult to get a precise tally of fatalities, but so far 11 deaths have been confirmed.

00:17Speaking to a local TV station earlier on Sunday, Mayotte's prefect said he thought

00:22the death toll could reach 1,000. A local hospital reported that nine people were in

00:28critical condition there and 246 others were injured. One local hospital said it was treating

00:34246 people for injuries and that nine were in a critical condition. Chido brought winds

00:40in excess of 220 kilometers an hour, according to the French Weather Service, ripping roofs

00:46off houses in the territory, which has a population of just over 300,000. In some areas, entire

00:52neighborhoods of metal shacks and huts were flattened, while residents reported trees

00:56had been uprooted and electricity supplies knocked out. Officials in Mayotte said it

01:01was the worst cyclone to hit the territory in almost a century. The French Interior Ministry

01:06said 1,600 police officers have been deployed to help the population and prevent potential

01:12looting. The cyclone has now made landfall on the east coast of Africa, slamming into

01:17northern Mozambique. UNICEF said Cabo Delgado province, home to around two million people,

01:23had been hard hit. The agency is now concerned about access to health care and the spread

01:28of waterborne diseases like cholera and malaria.

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