French rescuers were restoring essential services in the overseas territory of Mayotte hit by the most powerful cyclone in nearly a century, Reuters reported.
Nicolas Daragon, France’s minister for everyday security, declared on Sunday that sea and air operations were underway to bring in relief supplies and equipment after Cyclone Chido slammed into the islands with wind speeds of more than 124 miles per hour.
The first intervention planes arrive in Mayotte to provide emergency aid in the face of the damage caused by the cyclone. The State is fully mobilised to support the inhabitants of Mayotte in this ordeal.
Authorities also established an air bridge between Mayotte and Reunion Island, another French overseas territory on the other side of Madagascar, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said.
For the accommodation of emergency services, three structures capable of accommodating 150 people are on site, with an additional one currently on its way.
The prefect of Mayotte, Francois-Xavier Bieuville, stated on Sunday that the death toll would “certainly be several hundred, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousand.”
France colonised Mayotte in 1843 and annexed four major islands in the Comoros archipelago in 1904. The rest of the archipelago voted for independence in a 1974 referendum, but Mayotte elected to stay under French control.
