French President Macron has arrived in Mayotte, a French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique, which was severely hit by Cyclone Chido on December 14. Along with him, about twenty doctors and nurses have traveled to the island.
Macron surveyed the damage by helicopter and visited the hospital in Mamoudzou, the capital. He will later visit one of the affected neighborhoods.
The French military informed AP that a ship carrying 180 tons of aid is en route to the Comoros Islands near Mayotte. At least 31 people have died, with over 1,500 injured, 200 of them critically.
Authorities fear the death toll could be hundreds or even a thousand. Thousands remain without water and electricity.
A security officer at the airport told Macron, “Mayotte is in ruins. The roofs are gone; there’s nothing left.
We have nowhere to shelter.” Mayotte, the poorest French overseas department, situated between mainland Africa and Madagascar, has been devastated, particularly its slums. Chido is considered the worst cyclone to hit the island in a century.
Source: NOS