Death toll in cyclone-hit Mayotte rises to 31: French authorities

Paris, Dec 19 (IANS) The official death toll from Cyclone Chido in France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte has risen to 31, with approximately 1,400 people injured, according to the French Interior Ministry.

A state of exceptional natural disaster was declared in the overseas department late Wednesday night. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mayotte on Thursday amid fears that the death toll in the poorest French department could climb further in the coming days.

In a statement released late Wednesday, the caretaker Minister for Overseas Francois-Noel Buffet announced the activation of the state of the exceptional natural disaster in Mayotte to facilitate faster and more effective crisis management and implement emergency measures.

"Faced with this exceptional situation, exceptional resources must be deployed to quickly restore vital services and implement a sustainable reconstruction plan for Mayotte," he said.

He emphasised that the declaration enables faster and more effective responses from both local and national authorities while easing certain administrative processes for expedited action in Mayotte, Yonhap news agency reported.

On Tuesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) expressed alarm over more than 200 of its volunteers feared missing after the cyclone ravaged the islands.

Mayotte, located in the Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean, is an overseas department and region of France. Situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, it lies between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique.

Chido originated as a tropical depression in the southeastern Indian Ocean basin between December 7 and 8.

Cyclone Chidowas a tropical depression, characterised by a region of low atmospheric pressure over an ocean, accompanied by a circular wind pattern generated by thunderstorms. These systems exhibit maximum sustained wind speeds of 61 km/h or lower.

Should a tropical depression strengthen, it can evolve into a tropical storm, which is defined by wind speeds ranging from 62 km/h to 119 km/h. Winds exceeding this threshold classify the system as a tropical cyclone.

The terminology surrounding these systems can be somewhat confusing. In the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and northeastern Pacific Ocean, tropical cyclones are referred to as hurricanes. Conversely, in the western Pacific Ocean, they are known as typhoons, while in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the term cyclone is used.

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