French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou visited the French overseas department of Mayotte, which was hit by a hurricane. He described rumours that thousands of people had died due to the rampant elements as mere rumours.
According to him, it is more likely to be “a few dozen or hundreds” of victims. The prime minister said:
“We have to talk about it with great caution, but rumours of thousands of deaths are currently unfounded.”
According to media, Francois Bayrou said:
“This evening we will present a plan. It will allow us to react quickly to the situation.”
The prime minister also said the plan was for the long term. He stressed:
“It is not only about restoring Mayotte to its original form, but also about reorganising the future of the region.”
According to the media, a special bill will be presented at the government meeting on January 3, which will define the stages of the implementation of the plan for the restoration of Mayotte.
According to official data, the deaths of 39 people have been confirmed, more than 4 thousand people have been injured. The prefect of Mayotte Francois Xavier-Bieuville assumed that the hurricane killed several hundred “or even several thousand” people.
Mayotte is located in the Indian Ocean, Cyclone Chido hit the region on December 14. France’s meteorological service reported it was the strongest in 90 years. Wind gusts reached 60 metres per second.
On December 18, Mayotte declared a state of “exceptional natural disaster.” French insurers estimated the damage from the hurricane at more than $650m.
