France observes on Monday a national mourning set by President Emmanuel Macron in solidarity with Mayotte, struck ten days ago by Cyclone Chido which devastated the archipelago and caused the death of at least 35 people in this overseas department .
For this day of “national mourning”, the Head of State, who visited this French territory in the Indian Ocean last week, announced that the flags would be at half-mast and that a minute of silence would be held. observed at midday, particularly in public services. He also called on the French, throughout the territory, to observe it.
The most devastating cyclone that Mayotte has experienced in 90 years destroyed all precarious housing on December 14 and caused colossal damage in the poorest department in France, where relief efforts have been hard at work ever since. to restore essential services such as water, electricity and communications networks.
The provisional toll from the natural disaster, facilitated by global warming, stands at 35 dead and around 2,500 injured, but the authorities, who fear a higher number of victims, have launched a research mission.
In Mozambique, the cyclone caused the death of at least 94 people, according to local authorities. In Malawi, it killed 13 people.
In Mayotte, where a nighttime curfew remains in force, Emmanuel Macron also promised a special law to “rebuild Mayotte” and “put an end” to the slums, which could take two years according to the new Prime Minister François Bayrou.
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