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December 16, 2024 | 07:27 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Local authorities on France’s overseas territory, the island of Mayotte, have expressed concerns that around 1,000 people have died due to Cyclone Chido's impact in the area.
Mayotte Prefect, Francois-Xavier Bieuville, told the broadcast media in Mayotte, La 1ere, as reported by Anadolu on Monday, December 16, 2024, that the death toll could possibly reach hundreds or even, "maybe we would approach a thousand."
He emphasized that it is very difficult to determine the number of victims.
The powerful storm hit Mayotte, an island in the Indian Ocean, on Saturday, bringing torrential rain and winds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour, according to police reports.
Entire neighborhoods were flattened, especially in semi-permanent housing areas, while key infrastructure suffered extensive damage.
After the red alert was lifted, rescuers rushed to devastated areas to save possible survivors and recover bodies.
However, several areas reportedly remain inaccessible, according to French broadcaster BFMTV.
In the last few decades, thousands of people have attempted to make the crossing from Comoros, off the coast of East Africa, to Mayotte, which has a higher standard of living and access to the French welfare system.
Over 100,000 undocumented migrants live in Mayotte, according to the French interior ministry.
It was difficult to ascertain the precise death toll after the cyclone, which also raised concerns about access to food, water, and sanitation, authorities said.
"For the toll, it's going to be complicated because Mayotte is a Muslim land where the dead are buried within 24 hours," a French interior ministry official said earlier, as quoted from Reuters.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to hold a crisis meeting at the Ministry of the Interior on Monday night, December 16, to discuss the situation in the poorest region of France.
Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu stated on Sunday via platform X that an aerial bridge was established between Mayotte and France’s other overseas territory in the same region, the Reunion Island, located in the east of Madagascar.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is expected in Mayotte later in the day.
ANADOLU | REUTERS
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