GUWAHATI, Dec 16: Cyclone Chido, a powerful cyclonic storm that struck on Saturday, has caused widespread devastation across the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, reports said, as authorities warned that the death toll could reach “close to a thousand or even several thousand”.
Majority of Mayotte’s population of around 3.2 lakh inhabitants said they were struggling with severe shortages of food, water and shelter even as aid is being airlifted to the island considered to be among the poorest of French territories.
The cyclone, meanwhile, continued its path across the Indian Ocean and made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday.
At least three deaths have been reported in the African nation where, too, the storm left a trail of widespread destruction and devastation.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that 1.7 million people are at risk across the region, with significant rainfall expected in Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.
(With inputs from agencies)
