Heavy Casualties Likely in French Island Mayotte Due to Storm

French rescue forces entered the French overseas territory of Mayotte on Monday, December 16, to restore basic services after Cyclone Chido caused severe damage in the region over the weekend. The cyclone, which struck the southeastern Indian Ocean on Friday and Saturday, inflicted heavy damage on the Comoros Islands and Madagascar. Mayotte, directly in the path of the storm, suffered significant destruction. According to reports from the island's officials cited by AFP, hundreds may have lost their lives due to this cyclone. The island is located east of Mozambique. Local officials stated that accurately determining the death toll is challenging because, in the affected areas where the majority of the population is Muslim, bodies must be buried within 24 hours according to Islamic tradition. François-Xavier Beauvois, in an interview with public network 'Mayotte La Première,' stated, 'I think we will definitely have several hundred dead. The death toll may reach a thousand or even several thousand.' Mayotte, which has a tropical maritime climate, regularly faces severe storms. However, 'Mayotte La Première' described this storm as 'the strongest and even the most devastating cyclone in the island's history.' One resident said, 'It feels like we were attacked with an atomic bomb.' Witnesses reported that entire neighborhoods were completely destroyed by the storm. Cyclone Chido, active over the Indian Ocean on Friday and Saturday, also caused significant damage to the Comoros and Madagascar. In the Comoros Islands, 11 fishermen who went out to sea earlier in the week are missing. Bruno Retailleau, France's Minister of the Interior, reported a 'high number of deaths' in Mayotte after an emergency meeting. Additionally, François Bayrou, the new Prime Minister of France who began his term on Friday, announced that the island's main infrastructure, including the main hospital and airport, has been severely damaged or completely destroyed.