French President Emmanuel Macron says he will visit the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte "in the coming days" and declare a "period of national mourning". This comes as rescue teams struggle to clean up from the worst cyclone to hit the archipelago in nearly a century.
President Macron announced on Monday he will declare a national mourning period in Mayotte, and said he will travel there in the coming days.
Cyclone Chido laid waste to large parts of the Indian Ocean island archipelago off east Africa, which is France's poorest overseas territory.
The president made his announcement in a post on X after an emergency meeting with his caretaker government Monday night. "In the face of this tragedy that has shaken each of us, I will decree a national mourning,″ he said.
Rescue workers have been searching for survivors amid the debris of shantytowns that were bowled over by 200 kph winds over the weekend.
Sanitary problems
With many areas still inaccessible, it could take days to determine the full extent of damage.
So far, 22 deaths and more than 1,400 injuries have been confirmed, Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, the mayor of the capital Mamoudzou, told RFI on Tuesday morning. Around 70 percent of inhabitants are affected.
"The priority today is water and food," he said.
Relief efforts stepped up in Mayotte as Cyclone Chido death toll set to soar
"There are people who have unfortunately died where the bodies are starting to decompose that can create a sanitary problem."
"We don't have electricity. When night falls, there are people who take advantage of that situation," Soumaila went on.
One resident, Ibrahim Saidi took refuge with relatives during the cyclone, only to find his hut completely destroyed after the cyclone.
"Everything you see is destroyed. We thank God for being alive but what happened was a catastrophe. I don’t have the words," he told RFI correspondent Lisa Morisseau.
Medical evacuations
While relief efforts underway, the French government also announced that the "first 25 emergency medical evacuations" were carried out on Monday between Mayotte and Reunion Island.
French Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq said these operations would continue in the coming days.
She also said the main hospital had suffered extensive water damage to the surgery, intensive care, emergency and maternity departments.
Authorities said efforts were underway to establish a field clinic and deploy 100 additional medical personnel to the territory.
How overseas Mayotte became 'a department apart' within France
Meanwhile French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau reported a dramatic situation and warned that the death toll would most likely climb in the coming days.
"The island is completely devastated. Precarious housing, slums, nothing remains of them," he said.
The Interior Ministry said a further 400 gendarmes were on their way to reinforce the 1,600 police and gendarmerie officers deployed soon after the cyclone struck to "help the population and prevent potential looting."
Authorities have also established a curfew from 10:00 pm to 4:00 am local time (1900 GMT to 0100 GMT) as of Tuesday eveniong.
Logisitics hub
With Mayotte’s main airport closed to civilian flights due to extensive damage, only military aircraft are able to fly in and out.
The French Red Cross said they had established a logisitics base on Reunion Island some 1,400 kilometres away.
"We have doctors, nurses, technicians specialised in rescue and clearance, technicians specialised in drone piloting, heavy goods vehicle drivers. We have a mix that will best meet the needs of Mayotte," Baptiste Rivoire, national coordinator of Civil Protection operations told RFI.
Space technology will also help relief efforts in Mayotte. Images from French satellites, provided via the European Copernicus Emergency Management Service plan, will be able to help rescuers in the rubble, detect blocked streets or even cut bridges, according to Linda Tomazini from the strategy department at CNES, the national center of space studies.
(With newswires)
