A race against time for rescuers as hundreds are feared dead in Mayotte

Rescuers raced against time to reach survivors on Monday after a devastating cyclone ripped through France’s Indian Ocean territory in Mayotte, destroying homes on the islands. It is feared that hundreds of them died.

Images from Mayotte, which like other French overseas territories is an integral part of France and ruled from Paris, showed scenes of devastation, with houses reduced to rubble.

The crisis, which erupted over the weekend, a day after President Emmanuel Macron appointed Francois Bayrou as the sixth prime minister of his term, represents a major challenge for a government still operating in only an interim capacity.

The cyclone left the healthcare system in ruins, with the hospital extremely damaged and health centers out of action, Health Minister Genevieve Darrieussecq told France 2.

“The hospital suffered extensive water damage and destruction, particularly in the surgical, intensive care, maternity and emergency wards,” she said, adding that “medical centers were also not operational.”

Macron was due to chair an emergency meeting in Paris at 5pm GMT, the Elysee said.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, whose Super Ministry is responsible for Mayotte, arrived on the island.

“Nothing saved”

Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage to Mayotte airport and disrupted power, water and communications links as it bore down on France’s poorest region on Saturday.

Asked about the possible death toll, Prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville, the territory’s top Paris-appointed official, told broadcaster Mayotte la Premiere: “I think it will definitely be several hundred, maybe we’ll get there.” a thousand or even several thousand.” “.

With roads closed, officials fear many may still be trapped under rubble in inaccessible areas.

The mayor of Mayotte’s capital Mamoudzou, Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, told AFP the storm “spared nothing”.

“The hospital is affected, the schools are affected. Houses are completely destroyed,” he said.

Around 160 additional soldiers and firefighters reinforce the 110 soldiers already on duty.

The nearby French island of Reunion served as a hub for the rescue operations.

“Apocalyptic scenes”

Chido was blowing with winds of at least 226 kilometers per hour when it hit Mayotte, east of Mozambique.

At least a third of the territory’s 320,000 residents live in slums where houses with tin roofs were flattened by the storm.

One resident, Ibrahim, told AFP of “apocalyptic scenes” as he walked through the main island and had to clear blocked roads himself.

As authorities assessed the extent of the disaster, a first aid plane arrived in Mayotte on Sunday.

According to authorities in Reunion Island, it was carrying three tons of medical supplies, blood for transfusions and 17 medical personnel.

Patrice Latron, prefect of Réunion, said Mayotte residents were facing an “extremely chaotic situation and immense destruction.”

The first relief flight is expected to be followed by two military aircraft, while a Marine patrol ship is also expected to depart Reunion Island.

“Until the last minute”

There have been international commitments to help Mayotte, including from the regional Red Cross organization PIROI.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc was “ready to provide support in the coming days.”

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO was “ready to support communities in need of essential health care.”

With around 100,000 people estimated to be living in secret on Mayotte, it is proving difficult to determine how many people have been affected by the cyclone, according to the French Interior Ministry.

Ousseni Balahachi, a former nurse, said some people did not dare to seek help because they “feared it could be a trap” designed to force them out of Mayotte.

Many stayed “until the last minute” when it proved too late to escape the cyclone, she added.

Experts say Chido is the latest in a series of storms around the world fueled by climate change.

The “extraordinary” cyclone was strengthened by particularly warm waters in the Indian Ocean, meteorologist Francois Gourand of the Météo France weather service told AFP.

Chido shot across the Indian Ocean and landed in Mozambique on Sunday, where the official death toll was three.

The United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA warned that 1.7 million people were at risk and that the remnants of the cyclone could also bring “significant rainfall” to Malawi by Monday.

© 2024 AFP