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Africa|At Least 11 Dead in Mayotte in Indian Ocean After Tropical Cyclone Chido Strikes
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/15/world/africa/chido-mayotte-mozambique-french-territory.html
The prefect of Mayotte said the death toll could climb. The storm, the equivalent of a Category 3, made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday.
Dec. 15, 2024Updated 12:45 p.m. ET
Tropical Cyclone Chido made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday after causing destruction in Mayotte, a French archipelago of about 300,000 people in the Indian Ocean, where at least 11 people died, France’s interior ministry said on Sunday.
The prefect of Mayotte warned that the death toll could climb. Bruno Retailleau, France’s interior minister, said it will be difficult to account for all of the victims and that the government could not give a precise fatality figure at this point, Reuters reported.
The tropical cyclone had sustained wind speeds of 115 miles per hour on Sunday morning, according to the U.S. military’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center. That would make it a Category 3 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean.
Chido made landfall in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, just south of the city of Pemba. As it pushes inland, the storm is tracking southwest and is expected to weaken significantly, according to a forecast from the Météo-France, the official French meteorological administration.
However, Cabo Delgado and the neighboring province of Nampula will still endure strong gusts, heavy rainfall and hazardous sea conditions, the forecast said.
On Saturday, Chido passed north of Madagascar and hit Mayotte, a French island territory about 500 miles east of Mozambique. French officials said that the storm caused extensive damage to an airport and other infrastructure.
Source: National Hurricane Center All times on the map are Eastern Africa Time. Map shows probabilities of at least 5 percent. The forecast is for up to five days, with that time span starting up to three hours before the reported time that the storm reaches its latest location. Wind speed probability data is not available north of 60.25 degrees north latitude. By William B. Davis, John Keefe and Bea Malsky
President Emmanuel Macron of France said on social media that the French government was helping with relief efforts on Mayotte.
Mayotte has two main islands and a total land area of about 145 square miles. Its population density is the highest of France’s overseas territories.
Mayotte was still under a red cyclone alert on Sunday morning, but France’s official weather service said that skies were clearing as the storm moved away.
By Monday, the remnants of Chido are forecast to sweep into southern Malawi, according to Météo-France, bringing heavy rains, gusty winds and further risk of flooding. The system is then expected to dissipate gradually by Tuesday as it moves toward Zimbabwe.
Aurelien Breeden and Nazaneen Ghaffar contributed reporting.
Mike Ives is a reporter for The Times based in Seoul, covering breaking news around the world. More about Mike Ives
