Cyclone Chidos

Archipelago devastated by cyclone - hundreds feared dead

Several hundred people have probably died as a result of Cyclone Chido's progress over the French island group of Mayotte, north of Madagascar, according to local authorities according to AFP.

- I definitely believe that there are several hundred dead, maybe we will get close to a thousand or even several thousand, says the administrator Francois-Xavier Bieuville to the local TV channel Mayotte la Premiere.

Chidos is the worst storm to hit the area in over 90 years. According to the UN aid agency Unicef, homes, schools and healthcare facilities have been partially or completely destroyed.

- The island appears to be devastated, says French Interior Minister Bruno Retaileau according to The Guardian.

France sends 1,600 police: "Everything is destroyed"

Trees and houses have been razed to the ground, boats have sunk and electricity has been knocked out on the cyclone-hit French island group of Mayotte. Many of the roughly 300,000 inhabitants of the two islands off the east coast of Africa are now homeless and have lost family members.

- Mayotte is destroyed. We are devastated, resident Chad Youyou told AP.

The French government has sent hundreds of rescue workers, 1,600 police and 80 tonnes of supplies to the island group. However, the rescue work is made more difficult by the fact that Mayotte's airport was significantly damaged by the storm.