Thousands feared dead after cyclone hits French island of Mayotte

The Star

Several hundred people, maybe even thousands, may have been killed by Cyclone Chido in the French archipelago of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, a senior local French official said on Sunday (Dec 15).  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00Video released on Sunday by the French Gendarmerie showed the wreckage of hundreds of makeshift

00:07houses after the most powerful cyclone in nearly a century struck the archipelago of

00:13Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.

00:15A top local official told a local outlet that several hundred, maybe even thousands, may

00:22have been killed by Cyclone Chido.

00:25Asked about the death toll of several hundred, the French Interior Ministry said it will

00:30be difficult to account for all victims and said a figure could not be determined at this

00:35stage.

00:37Cyclone Chido swept through Mayotte overnight, according to the French Meteorological Administration.

00:43The forecaster said the storm brought winds of more than 124 miles per hour and damaged

00:49makeshift housing, government buildings and a hospital, adding it was the strongest storm

00:55in more than 90 years to hit the islands.

01:08Mayotte's islands have been a focal point for illegal immigration from nearby Comoros.

01:13In recent decades, thousands have attempted to cross from Comoros on the east coast of

01:18Africa to Mayotte, which has a higher standard of living and access to the French welfare

01:24system.

01:25According to the French Interior Ministry, over 100,000 undocumented migrants live in

01:31Mayotte.

01:32Some 77% of the people in Mayotte live below the French poverty line.

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