Cyclone Chido hits France's Mayotte archipelago killing 'several ...

The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is "several hundred" and may run into the thousands, according to the island's top government official.

France rushed rescue teams and supplies to its largely poor overseas department in the Indian Ocean, which suffered widespread destruction.

"I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we'll get close to a thousand. Even thousands … given the violence of this event,″ Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville told local broadcaster Mayotte la 1ere on Sunday.

He had previously said it was the worst cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years.

Mayotte, situated in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mozambique, was pummelled by the tropical cyclone on Saturday, causing major damage to public infrastructure, including the airport, flattening neighbourhoods and knocking out electricity supplies.

Cyclone Chido is the worst tropical storm to hit Mayotte in the past 90 years, local authorities say. (AFP: Kwezi)

It is France's poorest island and the poorest territory in the European Union, and has a population of about 320,000 spread across two main islands.

Located nearly 8,000 kilometres from Paris and a four-day trip by sea, Mayotte is significantly poorer than the rest of France and has grappled with gang violence and social unrest for decades.

The French Interior Ministry confirmed at least 11 deaths and more than 250 injuries earlier Sunday but said that was expected to increase substantially.

"For the toll, it's going to be complicated, because Mayotte is a Muslim land where the dead are buried within 24 hours," a French interior ministry official said.

Mr Bieuville said the brunt of the impact had been in slums and informal structures that mark much of Mayotte.

"This figure is not plausible when you see the images of the slums," he said, referring to the official death toll so far.

"I think the human toll is much higher."

Chido brought winds in excess of 220 kilometres per hour, according to the French weather service, ripping metal roofs off houses and destroying many small structures in Mayotte, which has a population of just over 300,000 spread over two main islands about 800km off Africa's east coast.

Mayotte was directly in the cyclone's path when it blew through the south-western Indian Ocean on Friday and Saturday, but it also affected the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. 

Later, Chido made landfall in Mozambique on the African mainland and there were fears for more than 2 million people in the country's north who could be affected, according to authorities there.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his thoughts were with the Mayotte people and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau was due to travel to Mayotte on Monday. 

Pope Francis also offered prayers for the victims while on a visit Sunday to the French Mediterranean island of Corsica.

In some parts of the archipelago entire neighbourhoods were flattened, while local residents reported many trees had been uprooted and boats had been flipped or sunk. 

The main airport also suffered major damage, the French transport minister said.

Rescuers and firefighters were sent from France and the nearby French territory of Reunion and supplies were also rushed in on military aircraft and ships. Damage to the airport's control tower meant only military aircraft were able to fly in.

Patrice Latron, the prefect of Reunion, said authorities aimed to establish an air and sea bridge from Reunion to Mayotte. 

About 800 more rescuers were to be sent in the coming days and more than 80 tonnes of supplies had been flown in or were on their way by ship. Some of the priorities were restoring electricity and access to drinking water, Mr Latron said.

Entire neighbourhoods in Mayotte were flattened by the cyclone, which also uprooted trees and grounded boats. (AFP: Kwezi)

The French Interior Ministry said 1,600 police and gendarmerie officers have been deployed to "help the population and prevent potential looting".

More than 15,000 homes in Mayotte were without electricity in the wake of the cyclone, acting Environment Minister Agnes-Pannier Runacher said.

UNICEF said it was on the ground to help the people impacted by the storm.

"Many homes, schools and health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed and we are working closely with government to ensure continuity of essential basic services," the humanitarian agency said in a statement.

Cyclone Chido has since made landfall in Mozambique on the African mainland, where emergency officials had warned that 2.5 million people could be impacted in two northern provinces.

Landlocked African countries Malawi and Zimbabwe have also made plans and are preparing to be affected, with both countries warning they might have to evacuate people from low-lying areas because of flooding.

UNICEF Mozambique spokesman Guy Taylor said that alongside the immediate impact of the cyclone, communities now faced the prospect of being cut off from schools and health facilities for weeks.

A series of strong cyclones have hit the south-eastern Indian Ocean in recent years, including Cyclone Idai in 2019 that left more than 1,500 people dead in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

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