Hundreds of people killed on French island after cyclone flattens entire neighbourhoods - amid fears death toll could reach 1,000
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The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is 'several hundred' and may be close to 1,000, the island's top government official told the local broadcaster Sunday. Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville told TV station Mayotte la 1ere that 'I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we'll get close to a thousand. Even thousands. ... Given the violence of this event.'.
![[This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows a damaged house in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/18/93171295-14195211-image-a-24_1734285936826.jpg)
He said it was extremely difficult to get an exact number after the Indian Ocean island was pummeled by the intense tropical cyclone on Saturday, causing widespread destruction. The French Interior Ministry confirmed at least 11 deaths and more than 250 injuries in Mayotte earlier Sunday but said that was expected to increase substantially.
![[This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers addressing the population in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/18/93171297-14195211-image-a-25_1734285939152.jpg)
Mayotte in the southeastern Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa is France's poorest island and the poorest territory in the European Union. Bieuville said the worst devastation had been seen in the slums of metal shacks and informal structures that mark much of Mayotte.
![[This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows palm tress during strong winds in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/18/93171341-14195211-image-a-26_1734285958362.jpg)
Referring to the official death toll so far, he said 'this figure is not plausible when you see the images of the slums.'. Chido blew through the southeastern Indian Ocean on Friday and Saturday, also battering the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. It has now made landfall in Mozambique on the African mainland.
![[This photo provided Sunday Dec.15, 2024 by the French Army shows soldiers patrolling in a military truck in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage with reports of several fatalities]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/15/18/93171343-14195211-image-a-27_1734285961026.jpg)
