AA / Tunis / Salim Boussaïd
French President Emmanuel Macron declared a day of national mourning on Monday, December 23, in tribute to the victims of Mayotte, a French archipelago in the Indian Ocean, ravaged last Saturday by Cyclone Chido.
Macron spoke on his “X” account on Thursday, a few hours after his arrival on the stricken archipelago.
“We are a Nation. We all share the pain of the Mahorais. I will declare national mourning for this Monday, December 23,” he indicated.
“Our flags will be at half-mast. All French people will be invited to pay their respects at 11 a.m.,” he added.
During his visit, the French president spoke with local authorities and citizens. He also visited some sites ravaged by the cyclone.
In a video statement shared by the Elysée, President Macron announced that priority will be given to the supply of drinking water and food.
He also mentioned the imminent establishment of a field hospital and the gradual restoration of tap water and electricity. Some areas will be equipped with generators, pending the restoration of the electricity network, he suggested.
As a reminder, Mayotte, the poorest French department located in the Indian Ocean, was hit hard by Cyclone Chido last Saturday, with winds exceeding 220 km/h, devastating all the precarious homes in the archipelago. .
According to a provisional report established by hospital services, 31 people lost their lives, while more than 1,400 others were injured. Local authorities, on the other hand, fear an even heavier toll, of hundreds, even thousands, of victims.
In this regard, Macron recognized that “probably, there are many more victims”, calling for “remain cautious with the figures”.
A crisis unit had been set up in Paris on Saturday and the resigning ministers of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, and Overseas Ministers, François-Noël Buffet, went there on Monday to supervise the relief and delivery of aid.
Several appeals for donations were also launched the day after the disaster. No less than 14 million euros have already been collected so far by the Fondation de France in favor of the Mahorais archipelago.
Also, the authorities announced reinforcements of 160 firefighters and aid of 20 tons of food and medicine.
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