The full number of deaths caused by Cyclone Chido in the French overseas territory of Mayotte will not be known for some time, the authorities said.
“It will take days and days,” said France’s acting interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, during a visit to the archipelago on Monday.
The local prefect, François-Xavier Bieuville, told the local radio station on Sunday evening that he thought “certainly several hundred” people had been killed in the storm.
According to a preliminary report by the authorities on Monday morning, 20 deaths have been confirmed so far, broadcaster France Info said.
More than 250 injuries were recorded.
The French overseas territory of Mayotte is located in the Indian Ocean between the coast of the south-eastern African country of Mozambique and the island nation of Madagascar.
About 310,000 people live on the archipelago. Cyclone Chido swept over Mayotte on Saturday with gusts of more than 220 kilometres per hour, leaving a trail of devastation.
Retailleau said most of the poor dwellings have been destroyed by the hurricane. Thousands of households are without electricity, and there are also problems with the water supply and the telephone network.
Roads are blocked and some areas are cut off. In the island’s capital Mamoudzou, the hospital and schools have also been hit, according to reports.
Rescuers in the overseas territory urgently searched for survivors on Monday.
Colonel Alexandre Jouassard from the Interministerial Crisis Centre told France 2 public television channel that there is still hope of finding people alive. “The coming hours are very important. We have deployed teams specialized in searching through rubble,” Jouassard said.
Even several days after the storm, victims can still be found, he said, adding, “This is our priority.”
Meanwhile, local health-care provision is challenging. France’s acting Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq described the situation on France 2 as “greatly deteriorated, with a severely damaged hospital and non-functional health centres.”
She stressed the need for vigilance regarding communicable diseases, which could arise from the consumption of contaminated water or spoiled food.
Since hitting Mayotte, Chido has made its way to Mozambique on the African mainland, where the storm reached speeds of up to 240 kilometres per hour.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), it destroyed and damaged numerous homes, schools and health facilities in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
