France is imposing a curfew on the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte from Tuesday evening after the French overseas territory was devastated by a cyclone that killed hundreds of people, the interior ministry said.
According to the latest official figures, 21 people were killed by Cyclone Chido, which hit the island and its neighbouring archipelago on Sunday.
However, authorities fear hundreds, possibly thousands, of people have died. The true scale of the casualties will only become clear in the coming days when rubble is cleared and roads are unblocked.
A curfew from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. local time (1900 GMT to 0100 GMT) has been imposed as a security measure to prevent looting, the interior ministry said.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou was also criticised for not visiting the stricken Mayotte. Instead of the affected region, he travelled to a municipal council meeting in the town of Pau, where he is mayor.
Meanwhile, Mayotte authorities continue to deal with the aftermath of the cyclone, which was the most destructive in 90 years. According to Meteo France, wind speeds reached 200 kilometres per hour. 22 deaths have been confirmed and more than 1,400 people have been affected.
With many parts of Mayotte still inaccessible, hundreds or even thousands could have been victims of the cyclone, but their deaths have not been officially accounted for. There is no electricity in the territory, exacerbating the situation.
President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to visit Mayotte in the coming days. But residents of the island, where more than three-quarters of the population lives in poverty, remain unhappy with France’s lack of support.
