Fears of a high death toll after Hurricane Chido hit the French territory of Mayotte

The death toll in the French province of Mayotte due to Hurricane Chido may reach “several hundreds” and may approach a thousand, the chief government official on the French island of Mayotte told local radio on Sunday.

“I think there are several hundred dead, and perhaps we are approaching a thousand,” Mayotte Governor François-Xavier Beauville told Mayotte La 1er television station.

He said it was “extremely difficult” to get an accurate number now that the violent tropical cyclone hit the Indian Ocean islands on Saturday, causing widespread devastation.

Officials confirmed that at least 11 people had been killed on the island of Mayotte earlier Sunday, but they expected that number to rise.

Aerial footage shared by the French gendarmerie The photo showed the ruins of hundreds of temporary homes spread across the hills of one of the islands of Mayotte.

In response to a question about the death toll reaching several hundred, the French Interior Ministry said: “It will be difficult to count all the victims” and said that no number could be determined at this stage.

French meteorology said that Hurricane Chido swept through the island of Mayotte overnight, carrying winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour and causing damage to temporary housing, government buildings and a hospital. The forecaster said this is the strongest storm to hit the islands in more than 90 years.

French President Emmanuel Macron said: “My thoughts are with our compatriots in Mayotte, who went through the most terrifying few hours, who lost everything, who lost their lives.”