‘Close to 1,000’ feared dead after huge cyclone hits French island

The death toll could rise to 'several thousand'

Cyclone Chido bought wind speeds of more than 225km/h (140mph) to the island, which is situated off the east coast of Africa.

The huge storm made landfall on Saturday afternoon and is the strongest cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years.

Mayotte has a population of 321,000 people but is one of the poorest parts of France. Entire settlements have been flattened by the storm, which has decimated shanty towns where the island's poorest live.

The island's prefect, Francois-Xavier Bieuville, said the death toll could reach "close to a thousand or even several thousand," the BBC reports.

Video footage shared on social media by the Commandement Gendarmerie Outre-Mer shows the devastation the cyclone has caused. Much of the island's population lives in shanty towns, which have been flattened by the cyclone.

A resident of the island's capital Mamoudzou told Reuters they've had "no water for three days."

Another resident told the agency it felt like "the aftermath of a nuclear war."

A huge rescue operation is underway to reach survivors, with soldiers and aid being flown out to Mayotte from France.

French president Emmanuel Macron said: "My thoughts are with our compatriots in Mayotte, who have gone through the most horrific few hours, and who have, for some, lost everything, lost their lives."

In a social media post over the weekend, he said: "I am closely following the situation in Mayotte. Mahorais, the whole country is on your side. Thanks to the government services, rescue and security forces mobilized. Reinforcements are here, others will arrive tomorrow. It's time for urgency. We will be there today and tomorrow."

Some 160 soldiers and firefighters are travelling to Mayotte today to reinforce the 110 already on the island. The AFP news agency reports that France's interior minister Bruno Retailleau is also travelling to the island with the reinforcements.