A cyclone barrelling towards southeast Africa for the last four days caused widespread devastation in Mayotte after it struck the French oversea region as the most powerful storm in 90 years.
Cyclone Chido made landfall on Saturday night with winds reaching over 200kph, Meteo-France said, causing damage to housing, government buildings and a hospital, and leaving at least 11 people dead.
Mayotte, one of the poorest regions under French administration of some 300,000 people, is located in the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean.
“At least several hundred people” were feared dead on the island as authorities struggled to assess the damage. “I think there will certainly be several hundreds, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousands,” prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville said on local media channel Mayotte La 1ere.
The French interior ministry said that “it will be difficult to account for all victims” and a death toll could not be determined at this stage.
Aerial footage showed many settlements flatted as the storm blew away roofs, uprooted trees and damaged public infrastructure.
“What we are experiencing is a tragedy, you feel like you are in the aftermath of a nuclear war,” Mohamed Ishmael from the capital Mamoudzou said. “I saw an entire neighborhood disappear.”
Hundreds of poor people living in shacks with sheet metal roofs were hit especially hard as the storm tore up many of their homes.
The storm damaged power lines, causing outages in most parts of the territory and disrupting the water supply. It also damaged an airport.
“The hospital is hit, schools are hit. Houses are totally devastated,” Mamoudzou mayor Ambdilwahedou Soumaila said. The cyclone “spared nothing”, he added.
French president Emmanuel Macron said a military transport plane with supplies and emergency workers had left to help people suffering the “most horrific” ordeal. “My thoughts are with our compatriots in Mayotte, who have gone through the most horrific few hours and who have, for some, lost everything, lost their lives,” he said.
The cyclone entered northern Mozambique, 800km west of Mayotte, on Sunday, causing heavy rain, strong winds and hazardous sea conditions. It slammed the northern province of Cabo Delgado, affecting nearly two million people.
“Many homes, schools, health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed and we are working closely with government to ensure continuity of essential basic services,” the United Nations Children’s Fund said. “While we are doing everything we can, additional support is urgently needed.”
Internet monitor NetBlocks said on X that heavy rain and winds had damaged power and telecommunications infrastructure in the region.
Save the Children warned that up to 650,000 children and their families were in danger after Chido hit northern Mozambique.
“Cyclone Chido is a catastrophe for children in northern Mozambique. They risk losing their homes, being separated from their families, and suffering limited access to water, sanitation, healthcare and education,” it said.
In Comoros, the storm destroyed 21 homes and left two people slightly injured, authorities said.
The remnants of Chido were expected to sweep southern Malawi, Météo-France reported, with heavy rains and gusty winds. The system could then move towards Zimbabwe, likely causing heavy rain and flooding.