French Prez arrives in cyclone-hit Mayotte

A destroyed neighbourhood in Trevani, Mayotte. Pic/AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived on Thursday to the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte to survey the devastation that Cyclone Chido brought upon the French territory as thousands of people tried cope without the bare essentials such as water or electricity.

"Mayotte is demolished," an airport security agent told Macron as soon as he stepped off the plane. "Small children are without water and have nowhere to go because "everything is demolished".

Macron went on a helicopter for an aerial appraisal of the damage. He then headed to the hospital in Mamoudzou, Mayotte's capital, to meet medical staff and patients, and later visited a destroyed area.

Authorities said at least 31 people have died and more than 1,500 were injured, with over 200 being in critical condition.

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