An “air bridge” from Reunion
The authorities are building an air and sea “bridge” to transport relief personnel and materials, as well as water and food, from Reunion Island to Mayotte.
Mayotte-Dzaoudzi airport, in Petite-Terre, where gusts reached 226 km/h on Saturday according to Météo-France, suffered major damage, particularly in its control tower, and is closed until further notice to commercial flights. There is “no question” of landing airliners there at this stage, but an “airlift” from Reunion Island will make it possible to land military and military aircraft in Mayotte, 1,700 km away. of civil security, explained Bruno Retailleau on Saturday evening.
A first civil security DASH plane landed at 3:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. in mainland France) in Mayotte with in particular medical equipment and blood bags, according to civil security and the prefecture of the southern defense zone. of the Indian Ocean.
Two CASA-type military planes carrying medical and EDF personnel and equipment must follow.
Swiss
