Hundreds feared dead after worst cyclone in 90 years slams French territory
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Debris of metal sheets, wood, furniture and belongings on Sunday, Dec. 15, after Cyclone Chido hit France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte. Photo: Kwezi/AFP via Getty Images
Officials in the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte estimate Tropical Cyclone Chido killed hundreds of people after the worst storm in 90 years struck the Indian Ocean archipelago.
The big picture: Mayotte hospital officials confirmed Tropical Cyclone Chido killed at least 11 people and wounded some 250 others on Saturday, but a top Mayotte official told local news outlet Mayotte La 1ere Sunday he expects the death toll to rise exponentially.
- "I think there will certainly be several hundreds, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousands," prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville said.
Driving the news: Tropical Cyclone Chido was at least the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic when it made landfall in Mayotte, per the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
- It was possibly stronger since it was so compact.
- Surface wind readings of higher intensity suggest it was stronger from the storm, which also brought powerful winds and heavy rains to Mozambique when it made landfall on Sunday.
- During the passage of the cyclone in Mayotte, 140 mph winds were recorded in the eye wall at Pamandzi on Mayotte's island of Petite-Terre, per a post to X by the weather agency Météo-France.
State of play: French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that he's closely monitoring the situation on Mayotte — which is the poorest territory in the European Union, with some 77% of people living below the national poverty line.
- "Our island is at this moment deeply affected by the most violent and destructive cyclone that we have seen since 1934," Bieuville said on Facebook Saturday. "Many of us have lost everything."
- European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Bluesky that "Europe stands alongside the people of Mayotte in this terrible ordeal" and the EU was "ready to provide support in the days to come."
- Phone and internet networks were still disrupted on Sunday, as French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau prepared to visit Mayotte on Monday.
Between the lines: Studies show that climate change is increasing maximum wind speeds of hurricanes and causing them to intensify more rapidly.
- They are also producing greater amounts of precipitation than they did just a few decades ago.
These storms are the same type of weather system, but with different terminology depending where they occur.
- Hurricanes and typhoons form in the Atlantic and western Pacific, respectively. Cyclones occur off the southeastern coast of Africa, among other locations.
In photos: Cyclone Chido causes widespread destruction in Mayotte
Go deeper: Why climate change hits poorest countries hardest
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
