The death toll from a cyclone which hit France’s Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday is likely to be several hundred, a local official has warned.
Entire communities were flattened when Cyclone Chido made landfall, causing wind gusts of more than 225km/h.
The last reported death toll stood at 11 but speaking to local media, the island’s prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville said it will "definitely be several hundred” once the damage is fully assessed, adding it was possible that a "few thousand people had died”.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France would "be there” for the people of Mayotte, while French officials said 250 firefighters and security personnel would be sent to the islands, with some having already arrived. France’s interior minister Bruno Retailleau said "all makeshift homes have been completely destroyed” and he feared a "heavy” death toll.