Close Menu
WTX News
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London
    • Jamie Overton replaces Saqib Mahmood in England XI for third ODI
    • Sure! Here’s the text without the site name, category, date, and full stops: “It blew my mind as a kid” TV fans reveal best sci-fi series ever
    • Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to humanitarian area
    • Mauricio Pochettino ‘shocked’ by Daniel Levy’s Tottenham exit
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    WTX News
    • Live News
      • US News
      • EU News
      • UK News
      • Politics
      • COVID-19
      • Business
      • Tech zone
    • World news
      • Middle East News
        • UAE News
        • Palestine News
      • Europe
        • Italian News
        • Spanish News
      • Africa news
      • South America
      • North America
      • Asia
    • News Briefings
      • UK News Briefing
      • World News Briefing
      • Live Business News
    • Sports
      • Football News
      • Tennis
      • Women’s Football
    • MY World
      • Climate Change
      • In Review
      • Expose
      • Special Reports
        • Conscience Convoy
        • Rohingya Report
    • Entertainment
      • Insta Talk
      • Royal Family
      • Gaming News
      • TV Shows
      • Streaming
    • Lifestyle
      • Fitness
      • Fashion
      • Cooking recipes
      • Luxury
      • Money Saving Expert
    • Travel
      • Culture
      • Holidays
    • Sign Up
      • Log In
    WTX News
    • Live News
    • World news
    • News Briefings
    • Sports
    • MY World
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Sign Up
    Home - France - French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte battered by cyclone, ‘heavy’ toll feared by authorities
    France Updated:December 15, 2024

    French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte battered by cyclone, ‘heavy’ toll feared by authorities

    By Frank Deux4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram WhatsApp
    French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte battered by cyclone, ‘heavy’ toll feared by authorities

    Cyclone Chido obliterated shantytowns on the French island territory of Mayotte on Saturday, December 14, with French ministers fearing a “heavy” death toll from the destruction, which has already claimed two lives.

    Acting Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the storm had left a “dramatic” trail of destruction on the impoverished islands, warning that the territory’s numerous shantytowns had been “completely destroyed”. “It will take several days” to establish the death toll, but “we fear that it is heavy”, he said as he left a government crisis meeting chaired by France’s newly appointed Prime Minister Francois Bayrou. Retailleau will travel to Mayotte on Monday, his office said.

    The cyclone had put the region on high alert as it closed in on the African mainland, packing gusts of at least 226 kilometres (140 miles) per hour. The storm also hit the nearby Comoros islands, causing flooding and damaging homes. The two confirmed deaths came on Petite-Terre, the smaller of Mayotte’s two major islands, a security source told AFP.

    Acting Transport Minister François Durovray said on X that Petite-Terre’s Pamandzi airport had “suffered major damage”. Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq said the entire territory’s health system had been “severely affected”, with “major material damage to the Mayotte hospital centre”.

    Earlier Saturday, Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said an A400M transport plane would be leaving France carrying aid and “civil security” equipment. Retailleau’s office said he had spoken by phone to the prefect for the territory, ordering “full mobilisation” of police and security services to help residents and “prevent any possible looting”.

    Headed for Mozambique

    Just northwest of Mayotte, the Comoros islands, some of which had been on red alert since Friday, were also hit, though less hard than the neighbouring archipelago, said national civil security chief Abderemane Mahmoud. The storm flooded mosques, swept away boats and damaged homes on the islands of Anjouan and Moheli.

    Comoros President Azali Assoumani had appealed to citizens in an address to “heed the authorities’ instructions better than in 2019”, when Cyclone Kenneth devastated the islands. “Our country is in a high-risk zone, but we must learn to manage these storms,” he said. Chido is expected to make landfall early Sunday in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado or Nampula provinces.

    Cyclone Chido is the latest in a string of storms worldwide to be fuelled by climate change, according to experts. The “exceptional” cyclone was super-charged by particularly warm Indian Ocean waters, meteorologist François Gourand of France’s Météo-France weather service told AFP.

    The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday it was similar in strength to cyclones Gombe in 2022 and Freddy in 2023, which killed more than 60 people and at least 86 in Mozambique respectively. It warned that some 1.7 million people were in danger, and said the remnants of the cyclone could also dump “significant rainfall” on neighbouring Malawi through Monday, potentially triggering flash floods. Zimbabwe and Zambia were also expected to see heavy rains, it added.

    Communications with Mayotte largely cut off

    Mayotte, which sits 500 kilometres east of Mozambique, is France’s poorest department. “Many of us have lost everything,” said prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville, calling Chido “the most violent and destructive cyclone we’ve seen since 1934”.

    Mayotte’s alert level had been lowered from violet – the highest – to red to allow emergency responders to leave their bases. But “the cyclone is not over”, Bieuville warned, urging Mayotte’s roughly 320,000 people to remain “locked down”. Communications with Mayotte are largely cut off.

    “It is a time of emergency,” President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, telling Mayotte residents that “the whole country is by your side” and thanking emergency responders. Retailleau announced that 140 fresh troops and firefighters would be sent to the scene on Sunday to help with recovery, more than doubling the deployment sent earlier in the week.

    This video grab taken from a handout of animated satellite images taken and released on December 14, 2024, by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at the Colorado State University, shows the Cyclone Chido over Mayotte (C), West of Madagascar and East of Mozambique.
    This video grab taken from a handout of animated satellite images taken and released on December 14, 2024, by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at the Colorado State University, shows the Cyclone Chido over Mayotte (C), West of Madagascar and East of Mozambique. HANDOUT / AFP

    Le Monde with AFP

    French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte battered by cyclone, ‘heavy’ toll feared by authorities

    News Just in

    Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London

    WTX News Editor

    Cliff Notes Arrests occurred at the Palestine Action protest in London, with Police making their first arrests shortly after the protest began. The demonstration, supporting

    Read More »

    Jamie Overton replaces Saqib Mahmood in England XI for third ODI

    WTX Sports Team

    Cliff Notes – Jamie Overton replaces Saqib Mahmood in England XI for third ODI Ben Duckett has been retained for the third ODI against South

    Read More »

    Emmanuel Macron France featured French news Le Monde Prime Minister
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email Telegram WhatsApp
    Previous ArticleMiriam Nogueras: "There will be no stability for the Government if they do not comply with the agreement"
    Next Article ‘Crown of Thorns’ relic returns to Notre-Dame cathedral
    Frank Deux

    Frank Deux is an editor at the French news desk for WTX news.

    Related Posts

    France to become first G7 nation to recognise Palestine as a state
    Politics

    France to become first G7 nation to recognise Palestine as a state

    Von der Leyen ‘wounded’ despite surviving EU confidence vote
    EU

    Von der Leyen ‘wounded’ despite surviving EU confidence vote

    Ousted Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina indicted for crimes against humanity amid calls for extradition
    News Briefing

    Ousted Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina indicted for crimes against humanity amid calls for extradition

    Trump imposes 35% tariffs on Canadian imports, escalating trade tensions
    North America

    Trump imposes 35% tariffs on Canadian imports, escalating trade tensions

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Advertisment
    News Headlines
    Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London

    Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London

    Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to humanitarian area

    Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to humanitarian area

    Save 70% on VIP subscription
    News Briefings - the way to a better life
    News Briefings - the way to a better life
    Advert by Sponsors
    More from WTX News
    The latest gaming news - with game reviews and tips and tricks. updated 24 hours a day.
    The latest gaming news
    Hot off the press!
    • Arrests made at protest for Palestine Action in London September 6, 2025
    • Jamie Overton replaces Saqib Mahmood in England XI for third ODI September 6, 2025
    • Sure! Here’s the text without the site name, category, date, and full stops: “It blew my mind as a kid” TV fans reveal best sci-fi series ever September 6, 2025
    • Israel warns Gaza City residents to flee south to humanitarian area September 6, 2025
    • Mauricio Pochettino ‘shocked’ by Daniel Levy’s Tottenham exit September 6, 2025
    wtx news brings you the latest news, a UK news briefing, Sports analysis, and premier league news with a special round-up of Business and crypto updates
    Facebook X (Twitter) TikTok Instagram

    News

    • World News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • EU News
    • Business
    • Opinions
    • News Briefing
    • Live News

    Company

    • About WTX News
    • Register
    • Advertising
    • Work with us
    • Contact
    • Community
    • GDPR Policy
    • Privacy

    Services

    • Fitness for free
    • Insta Talk
    • How to guides
    • Climate Change
    • In Review
    • Expose
    • NEWS SUMMARY
    • Money Saving Expert

    News delivered to your inbox

    Copyright WTX News 2025

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.