Official in French territory of Mayotte says death toll from Cyclone Chido is ‘several hundred’

( AP )

The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is “several hundred” and may be close to 1,000, the island’s top government official told the local broadcaster Sunday.

Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville told TV station Mayotte la 1ere that “I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we’ll get close to a thousand.”

He said it was “extremely difficult” to get an exact number right now after the Indian Ocean islands were pummelled by the intense tropical cyclone on Saturday, causing widespread destruction. Officials had confirmed at least 11 deaths in Mayotte earlier Sunday but said that was expected to increase.

Mayotte in the southeastern Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa is France’s poorest island and the poorest territory in the European Union.