Hundreds of people may have died after Typhoon Chido

The search for survivors in Mayotte, a French island territory in the Indian Ocean, continued on Sunday after it was hit by a powerful storm.

Rescue workers are still trying to reach several communities and there are fears the final death toll could reach thousands once the damage is fully assessed.

Entire settlements were flattened when Typhoon Chido brought wind speeds of more than 225km/h (140mph), with the poorest people living in makeshift shelters hit the hardest.

Some of Mayotte’s 320,000 residents say they are struggling with severe shortages of food, water and shelter.

“We have been without water for three days so we are starting to have a lot of water,” said a resident of the capital, Mamoudzou, who was waiting in line for supplies.

“We are trying to achieve a minimum standard of living because we don’t know when the water will come back.”

Mohamed Ishmael, another Mamoudzou resident, told Reuters news agency that the situation was “a tragedy” and said: “You feel like you are in the aftermath of a nuclear war… I saw an entire neighborhood disappear.”

Another person said they used a nearby school as a shelter and added: “We can still take shelter with our neighbors and we’re still sticking together and being cautious. We need everyone to hold on.” hand in hand”.

Mayotte’s impoverished communities, including undocumented migrants who have reached French territory in an attempt to claim asylum, are said to be particularly hard hit due to the vulnerable nature of their homes. their residence.

The country’s population is heavily dependent on French financial aid and has long struggled with poverty, unemployment and political instability.

About 75% of the population lives below the national poverty line, and unemployment hovers around one-third.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his thoughts were with “our compatriots in Mayotte, who have lived through the most terrible few hours and for some, who have lost everything, their lives”.

While some French aid and relief workers have reached Mayotte, efforts to reach some communities are still underway.

Francois-Xavier Bieuville, the island’s leader, told local media that the death toll could rise significantly once the damage is fully assessed. He warned that this number “will definitely reach several hundred” and could reach thousands.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who is scheduled to visit the island, acknowledged the “exceptional severity” of the storm and assured that efforts to support the population were being stepped up.

Storm Chido also brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to Mozambique, making landfall early Sunday morning about 25 miles (40.2km) south of the northern city of Pemba, according to the weather agency.

The tornado caused structural damage and power outages in the northern coastal provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado on Saturday morning, authorities said.

Guy Taylor, spokesman for aid agency Unicef ​​in Mozambique, said “we were hit hard in the early hours of this morning”.

“Many houses were destroyed or seriously damaged, health care facilities and schools were not operating,” he added.

Mr Taylor said Unicef ​​is concerned about “loss of access to vital services”, including medical treatment, clean water and sanitation, as well as “the spread of diseases such as epidemics”. cholera and malaria”.