Paris, Dec. 16, (dpa/GNA) – Rescuers in the French overseas territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean were urgently searching for survivors on Monday, amid fears that hundreds may be dead following Cyclone Chido.
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.”
The top local official, François-Xavier Bieuville, has estimated that hundreds of individuals may have perished in the storm.
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.
The French overseas territory of Mayotte is located in the Indian Ocean, roughly midway between the south-east African coast of Mozambique and the island nation of Madagascar. Around 310,000 people live in the archipelago.
Cyclone Chido swept across Mayotte on Saturday, bringing storm gusts exceeding 220 kilometres per hour, and leaving a trail of devastation.
GNA