Cape Town, South Africa — On Monday, France dispatched ships and military aircraft to its tiny overseas territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, which had been devastated by its biggest hurricane in nearly a century. Authorities in Mayotte think that hundreds, if not thousands, of people died in Cyclone Chido, despite the fact that the official death toll was 14 on Monday morning. Rescue teams and medical workers, as well as tons of supplies, have been rushed to the island off Africa’s east coast by France and the nearby French province of Reunion. Monday morning, French television station TF1 announced that Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau had arrived in Mamoudzou, Mayotte’s capital.

ABC News France rushes aid to Mayotte, where hundreds or maybe thousands killed in Cyclone Chido. France is rushing assistance by ship and military aircraft to its poor overseas island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, which has been destroyed by its biggest cyclone in nearly a century. By Gerald Irray, Associated Press December 16, 2024, 10:21 AM. At 1:06, ABC News presents international headlines.Catch up on the latest headline-making stories from around the world. Cape Town, South Africa — On Monday, France dispatched ships and military aircraft to its tiny overseas territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, which had been devastated by its biggest hurricane in nearly a century. Authorities in Mayotte suspect hundreds, possibly thousands, of people have died.

Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville, the top French government official in Mayotte, told local TV station Mayotte la 1ere on Sunday that the dead toll was several hundred people, possibly thousands. He said Mayotte’s destitute slums of metal shacks and other informal structures had been severely damaged, and authorities were battling to acquire an accurate count of the dead and injured following the deadliest cyclone to hit the island since the 1930s.

Entire neighbourhoods have been demolished, while public facilities such as the main airport and hospital have suffered significant damage, and the energy supply has been disrupted, according to French officials. The damage to the airport control tower means that only military aircraft can fly into Mayotte, hampering the response. Mayotte is France’s poorest department and the poorest territory in the European Union, although it is attracting economic migrants from even poorer nations such as the adjacent Comoros and Somalia due to a higher standard of life and the French assistance system. Bieuville, the Mayotte prefect, said it would be extremely difficult to tally all of the dead, and many may never be recorded, partially due to the Muslim habit of burying individuals within 24 hours of their deaths and also because of many undocumented migrants living on the island.