France declares state of emergency – Macron travels to Mayotte
The death toll in cyclone-hit Mayotte is feared to rise and could reach hundreds – possibly thousands, French authorities say, AFP reports.
On Thursday, President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the French archipelago, northwest of Madagascar. The visit comes after France declared an “exceptional state of natural disaster” to enable faster and more effective handling of the disaster. The authorities have also imposed a nighttime curfew.
– The tragedy in Mayotte is probably the worst natural disaster in recent centuries in French history, says French Prime Minister François Bayrou.
Survivors: “We survived something apocalyptic”
Four days after the fatal cyclone Chido struck the French archipelago of Mayotte, survivors look back on hours filled with terror. AP has visited the archipelago and spoken to, among others, 28-year-old Samuel Anli, who was in a house without windows when the cyclone hit.
“We went through something apocalyptic. If it had lasted a few more hours, we would have been dead,” he told the news agency.
France’s Interior Ministry has confirmed that 31 people have died in the cyclone, but the number is expected to rise. Survivors and aid organizations tell the AP of hasty burials and the stench of death. The cyclone also destroyed infrastructure, including hospitals and other health facilities.
Mayotte is France’s poorest region. Many migrants from Africa make their way there in the hope of being able to continue on to Europe.
Four days after the fatal cyclone Chido struck the French archipelago of Mayotte, survivors look back on hours filled with terror. AP has visited the archipelago and spoken to, among others, 28-year-old Samuel Anli, who was in a house without windows when the cyclone hit.
“We went through something apocalyptic. If it had lasted a few more hours, we would have been dead,” he told the news agency.
France’s Interior Ministry has confirmed that 31 people have died in the cyclone, but the number is expected to rise. Survivors and aid organizations tell the AP of hasty burials and the stench of death. The cyclone also destroyed infrastructure, including hospitals and other health facilities.
Mayotte is France’s poorest region. Many migrants from Africa make their way there in the hope of being able to continue on to Europe.
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