Officials in Mayotte, France’s Indian Ocean territory, are reporting potentially catastrophic casualties following the weekend landfall of Cyclone Chido, with territorial prefect François-Xavier Bieuville suggesting the death toll could reach “several hundred, maybe a thousand, even a few thousand.” While the official count stands at 14, authorities expect this number to rise dramatically as rescue efforts continue.
The Category 4-equivalent cyclone struck with devastating force, bringing winds of 226 km/h (140 mph) and massive storm surges between 13 and 28 feet. Emergency response teams, including workers from mainland France and nearby Reunion, are racing against time to locate survivors in what is being described as the region’s worst cyclonic event in over 90 years.
The impact has been particularly severe in Mayotte’s vulnerable communities, where many of the territory’s 321,000 residents live in poorly constructed settlements that proved no match for the cyclone’s intensity. The situation is further complicated by local Islamic customs requiring burial within 24 hours of death, potentially affecting accurate casualty counts.
This natural disaster has struck at a particularly sensitive time for Mayotte, which has recently been at the center of France’s immigration debate due to an influx of asylum seekers from neighboring Comoros. Earlier this year, the situation prompted legislative action to modify birthright citizenship laws on the island.
The territory, located off Africa’s southeastern coast, represents one of France’s poorest regions, with its distance of nearly 5,000 miles from Paris highlighting the challenges of immediate disaster response and recovery efforts.
