A minimum of 11 individuals had been killed after a cyclone slammed into Mayotte, probably the most intense storm to hit the French Indian Ocean archipelago north of Madagascar in practically a century, French climate forecasters and authorities stated on Sunday.
Cyclone Chido swept by way of Mayotte in a single day, Meteo-France stated, bringing winds of greater than 200 kilometres an hour (124 miles an hour) and damaging makeshift housing, authorities buildings and a hospital. It was the strongest storm in additional than 90 years to hit the islands, the forecaster stated.
It was tough to determine the exact loss of life toll after the cyclone, which additionally raised issues about entry to meals, water and sanitation, authorities stated.
“For the toll, it will be difficult, as a result of Mayotte is a Muslim land the place the lifeless are buried inside 24 hours,” a French inside ministry official stated.
Situated practically 8,000 km (4,970 miles) from Paris and a four-day journey by sea, Mayotte is considerably poorer than the remainder of France and has grappled with gang violence and social unrest for many years.
Tensions had been stoked earlier this 12 months by a water scarcity.
This text was produced by Reuters information company. It has not been edited by World South World.
