The death toll in the French region of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido could be “several hundred” and could be close to 1,000, the island's top government official told the local broadcaster on Sunday.
Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville told the TV station Mayotte la 1ere, “I think there are several hundred dead, we may get close to a thousand. “
He said it was “very difficult” to get an accurate number at the moment after the Indian Ocean islands were pummeled by the intense tropical cyclone on Saturday, causing widespread destruction.
Officials had confirmed at least 11 deaths in Mayotte earlier on Sunday but said that was expected to rise.
Mayotte, in the southeast Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, is the poorest island in France and the poorest region in the European Union.
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