Mamoudzou (France), 19 December. (askanews) – French President Emmanuel Macron visited Mayotte, the French archipelago in the Indian Ocean devastated by cyclone Chido, and met with the staff of the Mamoudzou hospital who explained to him the serious situation in which they find. The authorities predict a death toll of hundreds, perhaps thousands, and it is not yet possible to make a precise estimate.
Upon his arrival, the president was surrounded by residents who begged him to stay to see the situation with his own eyes and to send help. “There is nothing left in Mayotte, we have nothing. We have no water. We have nothing to shelter under, we can only pay in cash and what will we eat?” some asked, also underlining the urgent need to restore electricity and petrol supplies. Macron then boarded a helicopter to see the extent of the devastation from above. About a third of the population, or more than 100,000 people, live in precarious housing, most of which was completely destroyed by the cyclone.
