Cyclone Chido death toll in Mayotte reaches 'several hundred': Official

The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is several hundred and may be close to 1,000, the island's top government official told the local broadcaster Sunday.

Mayotte Prefect Franois-Xavier Bieuville told TV station Mayotte la 1ere, I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we'll get close to a thousand.

He said it was extremely difficult to get an exact number right now after the Indian Ocean islands were pummelled by the intense tropical cyclone on Saturday, causing widespread destruction. Officials had confirmed at least 11 deaths in Mayotte earlier Sunday but said that was expected to increase.

Mayotte in the southeastern Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa is France's poorest island and the poorest territory in the European Union.  France's Interior Ministry said earlier on Sunday that at least 11 people have died after Cyclone Chido caused devastating damage in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. 

The ministry said it was proving difficult to get a precise tally of the dead and injured amid fears the death toll will increase. A hospital in Mayotte reported that nine people were in critical condition in the hospital and 246 others were injured. 

The tropical cyclone blew through the southeastern Indian Ocean, also affecting the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. Mayotte was directly in the path of the cyclone and suffered extensive damage on Saturday, officials said. The prefect of Mayotte said it was the worst cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years. 

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Saturday night after an emergency meeting in Paris that there were fears that the death toll in Mayotte “will be high.”  Chido brought winds in excess of 220 kph, according to the French weather service, ripping metal roofs off houses and destroying many small structures in Mayotte, which has a population of just over 300,000 spread over two main islands about 800 kilometres off Africa's east coast. 

In some parts, entire neighbourhoods were flattened, while localresidents reported many trees had been uprooted and boats had been flipped or sunk. The main airport also suffered major damage, the French transport minister said. 

France's poorest island, Mayotte has previously struggled with drought and underinvestment. 

Chido has now made landfall in Mozambique on the African mainland, where emergency officials had warned that 2.5 million people could be impacted in two northern provinces. Landlocked countries Malawi and Zimbabwe have also made plans and are preparing to be affected, with both countries warning they might have to evacuate people from low-lying areas because of flooding. 

A series of strong cyclones have hit the southeastern Indian Ocean in recent years, including Cyclone Idai in 2019 that left more than 1,500 people dead in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.