Reports of massive damage are pouring in from the French islands of Mayo after the most powerful cyclone in a century hit the Indian Ocean archipelago on Saturday, causing death and destruction comparable to the explosion of an atomic bomb, according to residents.
"It is a real disaster. Many houses and even villages have been destroyed, especially in the poorest areas", says a resident.
Rescuers are scrambling to restore basic services as hundreds or thousands of people are believed to have died as a result of Cyclone Chido.
French authorities said naval and air operations had been launched to transport aid and life-saving equipment after Cyclone Chido slammed into the islands with winds of more than 225 km per hour.
Extensive damage to infrastructure, with downed power lines and blocked roads, is hampering emergency operations. However, the extent of casualties on the islands between Madagascar and Mozambique remains unclear.
The prefect of Mayo said on Sunday that the death toll would probably reach several hundreds, if not thousands. 8 thousand km away from Paris, Mayotte is among the poorest areas of France. The archipelago is a major destination for undocumented migrants near Comoros, marked by gang violence and social unrest.
Many of the islands' 300,000 inhabitants live in huts. French Red Cross workers said most of the slums were completely destroyed, while one resident described scenes of a nuclear apocalypse. (A2 Televizion)
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