Search for survivors in slums as cyclone kills already 14 people
Cyclone Chido caused severe destruction and enormous human suffering on Saturday, Dec. 14, on Mayotte, a French archipelago in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mozambique.
Chido was the heaviest cyclone on Mayotte in 90 years. For now, 14 people have already been found dead, but that number could rise dramatically given the high number of people missing. According to the prefect of the French department, François-Xavier Bieuville, there could even be “hundreds or even thousands of deaths.” So reports BFMTV.
An air and sea bridge was immediately organized from the French island of La Réunion, 1,400 kilometers away, to send medical supplies, rescue equipment and personnel. But food and drinking water have since become scarce on the island. The mayor of capital Mamoudzou, Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, told the press that rescue workers expect many casualties in the rubble of the densely populated slums, especially in the hills above Mamoudzou. Throughout the country, many roads were completely destroyed and a lot of communications got cut off. In addition, residents have also started looting stores and homes.
(SR for Tagtik/Source: BFMTV/Illustration picture: Image by WikiImages from Pixabay)