Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte led the minute’s silence
France is holding a day of national mourning after Cyclone Chido devastated its Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte earlier this month.
French President Emmanuel Macron led Monday’s tribute by holding a minute’s silence for the storm’s victims.
He called for the nationwide remembrance during his visit to the island last week – where he was jeered by some islanders who criticised the slow delivery of aid.
It is feared hundreds, possibly thousands, of people died when Chido made landfall off Africa’s south-east coast on 14 December, bringing winds of up to 260 km/h (160mph) and 250mm of rainfall in the first 24 hours.
Speaking after the minute of silence was held, French Prime Minister François Bayrou said it was “symbolic of our solidarity with all those who are suffering”.
“It is a commitment to ensure that the national community is present, to rebuild Mayotte and to ensure that the people of Mayotte feel surrounded by an entire country,” he added.
Flags have been flown at half-mast in a show of solidarity in French cities including Paris, Marseille and Lyon.
The moment of silence was also observed in Mayotte, where more than a week after the storm, survivors are struggling without water, communication and electricity, while rescuers try to provide urgently needed assistance.
Estelle Youssouffa, a French MP for Mayotte, told the BBC that 90% of the island, which lies between the African mainland and Madagascar, had been destroyed.
“All public services are down,” she said.
“Those who are ill are unable to get help or to go to the only hospital on the island, which has been almost totally destroyed.”
Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville said that a field hospital would begin work on Tuesday, which will be able to treat up to 100 people a day.
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Chido was the worst storm to hit the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte in decades
Mayotte was already France’s most impoverished territory before the cyclone struck.
Chido – the worst storm to hit the archipelago in 90 years – flattened areas where people live in shacks with sheet metal roofs and left fields of dirt and debris.
At least 31 people are reported by French officials to have died, but the death toll is expected to be much higher with thousands still missing.
After Mayotte the storm hit the African mainland, killing at least 94 people in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi.
Macron pledged to rebuild Mayotte’s devastated infrastructure and homes following his visit.
After touring the region in a helicopter to see the devastation, he said that Thursday was a day he would never forget.
During the visit he was heckled and faced calls to resign from locals who demanded more aid in devastated areas.
Macron responded by telling locals: “I had nothing to do with the cyclone. You can blame me, but it wasn’t me.”
Prime Minister François Bayrou said the tragedy of Mayotte was probably the worst natural disaster in centuries of French history.
More than 100,000 people remain in Red Cross shelters after their homes were destroyed.
