Cyclone’s Death Toll in Mayotte Is Still Unclear

1 month ago 22

Africa|How Many People Did Cyclone Chido Actually Kill on a French Island?

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/20/world/africa/cyclone-chido-death-toll-mayotte.html

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

Nearly a week after a devastating cyclone, most streets have reopened in Mayotte, a tiny French island off the east coast of Africa.

President Emmanuel Macron of France, who toured the territory, got into tense exchanges with residents. And services like cellphone reception have slowly been returning to normal.

But despite all the efforts to move forward, a grim question hangs over this deeply impoverished archipelago: Exactly how many people died in Cyclone Chido?

The day after the disaster, France’s top official in Mayotte ignited broad alarm when he said of the death toll, “Maybe we will be closer to a thousand, maybe several thousand.”

A few days later, a lawmaker from the island told one of France’s largest newspapers that there were rumors of 20,000 victims. And a local television station reported that rescue teams believed that up to 60,000 people — 19 percent of the island’s population — had perished. The station later deleted the report from its social media accounts, but not before Mr. Macron was forced to address the claim, saying there was “nothing to corroborate” it, even if it was “very likely that there are many more victims.”

The map locates the French island territory of Mayotte, off the southeastern coast of Africa.