French island territory hit by Cyclone Chido

France’s Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte has been struck by the worst cyclone to hit the islands in proximately a century.

At least two people were telledly finished when Cyclone Chido made landdescfinish on Saturday, causing triumphd gusts of more than 225km/h (140mph), and it is dreaded more may have died.

One local official telderly French media the island’s shanty town had been “finishly ruined”, while French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau shelp he dreaded a “weighty” death toll.

French Plivent Emmanuel Macron shelp France would “be there” for the people of Mayotte, while French officials shelp 250 firefighters and security personnel would be sent to the islands, with some having already reachd.

Located north-west of Madagascar, Mayotte is an archipelago compascfinishd of one main island, Grand-Terre, and cut offal minusculeer ones.

Even before the cyclone hit with brimming force on Saturday morning, there were tells of trees being uprooted, roofs being ripped off originateings and power lines being downed.

The head of Mayotte’s firefighters’ union, Abdoul Karim Ahmed Allaoui, telderly the BFM recents channel on Saturday morning “even aascfinishncy replyers are locked down”.

He persistd: “There’s no mobile phone service and we can’t accomplish people on the island.

“Even originateings built to earthquake standards haven’t held up.

“The aascfinishncy services order centre has been evacuated and is functioning at fragmentary capacity.”

The island’s Pamandzi airport “suffered beginant harm, especipartner to the regulate tower,” acting French Transport Minister Francois Durovray wrote on X.

Air traffic “will be revampd initipartner with military help schedulees. Ships are on the way to asconfident reprovide,” he inserted.

Mr Retailleau wrote in a statement on X: “I advise my brimming help to the people of Mayotte. The state and local aascfinishncy services are brimmingy mobilized. 110 civil security personnel and firefighters have already been sent and are on site. A second dispatch will be made tomorrow with 140 insertitional personnel.”

French Prime Minister François Bayrou, who took up the post on Friday, shelp the cyclone was of “exceptional cut offity” and he was being modernized on the situation “hour by hour”.

Mayotte was initipartner placed under a purple vigilant – the highest level – and a “cut offe lockdown for the whole population, including aascfinishncy services” was imposed. It has since been shrinked to red to help aascfinishncy services to exit their bases.

The cyclone is also foreseeed to hit Mozambique on the African mainland.