Huge storm sweeps through French archipelago, thousands feared dead

Typhoon Chido, the strongest storm in nearly a century, has swept through the French archipelago of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, possibly killing thousands.

VnExpress newspaper reported on December 16 with the headline: "A strong storm sweeps through the French archipelago, thousands of people may have died" with the following content:

"I think hundreds of people, maybe a thousand people, even thousands of people have died," Mayotte leader Francois-Xavier Bieuville told local media on December 15.

Mr. Bieuville said it would be difficult to count all the victims killed by Typhoon Chido and the government has not yet determined the number.

Typhoon Chido, the strongest storm in nearly a century, made landfall on the Mayotte archipelago on the night of December 14 with winds of more than 200 km/h, destroying a series of houses, government buildings and a hospital.

"What we are experiencing is a tragedy, like the effects of a nuclear war. I saw with my own eyes an entire neighbourhood disappear," said Mohamed Ishmael, a resident of Mamoudzou, the capital of the Mayotte archipelago.

French gendarmes released aerial footage of the Mayotte archipelago showing hundreds of makeshift homes scattered across the hills, almost completely collapsed. Houses near the coast had their roofs blown off by coconut trees.

"My condolences to the people of Mayotte, who have gone through a terrible moment. Some have lost their entire fortune, even their lives," French President Emmanuel Macron said.

The French archipelago of Mayotte is located in the Indian Ocean. Thousands of migrants from East Africa have tried to reach Mayotte in recent decades because of its higher standard of living and benefits from the French government.

A series of makeshift homes in the French archipelago of Mayotte were completely destroyed after Typhoon Chido swept through. Video: X/Gendarmerie nationale

According to the French Interior Ministry, there are more than 100,000 undocumented migrants living in Mayotte. Officials said it was difficult to determine the number of people killed by Typhoon Chido, which has also raised concerns about food and water supplies.

“As for the number of deaths, it will be complicated to determine because Mayotte is a Muslim region where the dead are buried within 24 hours,” an Interior Ministry official said.

Mayotte is nearly 8,000 km (5,000 miles) from Paris and is much poorer than the rest of France. The archipelago has been struggling with gang violence and social unrest for decades. More than three-quarters of its population live below the French poverty line.

Next, on December 16, Tuoi Tre newspaper also published an article with the information: "Storm Chido causes shocking damage, France fears hundreds of deaths". The content reported by the newspaper is as follows:

CNN reported on December 16 that after Typhoon Chido moved towards the east coast of Africa, it caused severe damage to the French island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, killing many people.

The death toll in Mayotte from Typhoon Chido is believed to be in the "hundreds" and possibly thousands, the island's top government official said in an interview with a local radio station on December 15.

"I think there are several hundred people dead, maybe it will be in the thousands given the magnitude of the disaster," Mayotte's chief representative, François-Xavier Bieuville, told Mayotte la 1ere television.

Typhoon Chido causes severe damage in France, hundreds feared dead

Bieuville said earlier that it was the worst storm to hit Mayotte in 90 years.

He also stressed that it was extremely difficult to determine the exact number of deaths and injuries on the island after it was devastated by the tropical storm on December 14.

Typhoon Chido caused severe damage to public infrastructure, including the airport, flattened residential areas and caused widespread power outages.

On the morning of December 15, the French Interior Ministry confirmed that at least 11 people had died and more than 250 were injured, but said the number was expected to rise significantly. AFP news agency, after confirming with local officials, raised the total death toll to 14.

The worst damage was in the slums of corrugated iron shacks and makeshift structures that characterize much of Mayotte, Bieuville said.

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"This figure does not make sense when you look at the images of the slums. I think the actual number of casualties is much higher," Bieuville said, referring to the 11 deaths confirmed by the French Interior Ministry.

France has rushed rescue teams and aid to Mayotte by air and sea.

However, the relief effort is likely to be hampered by damage to the airport and the electricity distribution system in the area. The region has also suffered from a lack of clean water for years.

The control tower at Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi Marcel Henry International Airport also suffered heavy damage just hours after Typhoon Chido hit the island of Mayotte - Photo: AFP