Images from local media showed a mother pushing her newborn’s crib along a flooded hallway at Mayotte’s hospital. A capsized police boat lay on the shore, and palm trees broke through the roofs of many buildings.
French President Emmanuel Macron said: “My thoughts are with our compatriots in Mayotte, who suffered the most terrifying hours, lost everything and lost their lives.”
Over the past few decades, thousands of people have attempted to cross from the Comoros off the coast of East Africa to Mayotte, where living standards are high and France’s welfare system is available.
According to the French Interior Ministry, more than 100,000 illegal immigrants live on Mayotte.
Officials said it was difficult to determine the exact death toll after the cyclone, which also raised concerns about access to food, water and sanitation.
“The number of deaths will be complicated because Mayotte is a Muslim country and the dead are buried within 24 hours,” a French Interior Ministry official said earlier.
Located about 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) from Paris, Mayotte is significantly poorer than other parts of France and has struggled with gang violence and social unrest for decades.
More than three-quarters of Mayotte’s residents live below the French poverty line. Tensions escalated earlier this year due to water shortages.
The government says an air bridge has been set up from Réunion Island, a French overseas territory on the opposite coast of Madagascar.
The disaster was the first challenge facing Prime Minister François Bayrou, days after being appointed by Macron after the collapse of the previous government.
The cyclone also hit northern Mozambique on Sunday, but the full extent of its impact is unclear. Internet monitor NetBlocks said on X that heavy rain and winds had damaged power and communications infrastructure.
In the Comoros, two people suffered minor injuries, 24 people were evacuated and 21 homes were destroyed, authorities said.
France colonized Mayotte in 1843 and annexed the entire archipelago, including the Comoros, in 1904.
In the 1974 referendum, 95% supported secession, but in Mayotte 63% voted to remain in France. Grand d’Arcomore, Anjouan and Moheli declared independence in 1975. Mayotte is still ruled from Paris.
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