Historic cyclone batters France's Mayotte territory, devastation feared

Paris: A powerful cyclone slammed into Mayotte early on Saturday, raising concerns about the scale of devastation from the worst storm to hit the French overseas territory in almost a century, officials said.

The storm damaged and destroyed government buildings, the hospital and makeshift housing, and raised concerns about access to food, water and sanitation in the Indian Ocean archipelago, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told reporters after an evening inter-ministerial meeting.

"Everyone understands that this was a cyclone that was unexpectedly violent," Bayrou said.

Located nearly 8,000 km (4,970 miles) from Paris, a four-day trip by sea from France, Mayotte is significantly poorer than the rest of the country and has grappled with gang violence and social unrest for decades. Tensions were exacerbated earlier this year by a water shortage.

The airport runway was still able to be used and authorities were planning to use it only for military flights to transport water and food.

Ahead of the storm, authorities had put the archipelago on high alert and warned residents to stay indoors, with gusts of wind blowing up to about 200 kph (124 mph).

"Our island is at this moment deeply affected by the most violent and destructive cyclone that we have seen since 1934. Many of us have lost everything," Mayotte's prefect, a top local official, wrote in a post on Facebook.

French media reported that at least four people had died on both of Mayotte's islands. Asked if he could provide official numbers for how many deaths or injuries had occurred from the storm, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau declined, saying it was too early to tell.

Thani Mohamed-Soilihi, the junior minister for Francophonie and international partnerships who was born in Mayotte, has not heard from his family or friends on the islands in the aftermath of the cyclone, Bayrou and Retailleau said.

Retailleau said the government had sent 110 civil security military officers and firefighters to its former colony, which lies between Madagascar and mainland Africa, and would send another 140 on Sunday. In addition, 1,600 gendarmes and police officers were on the ground to maintain public order.

"There was some looting, but very quickly, we reacted," Retailleau said.

The storm, which made landfall in the morning, was expected to remain dangerous as it moved southwest, a weather bulletin said.

Local officials in Mayotte did not immediately respond to requests for comment.