At least 34 people have lost their lives in northern Mozambique after Cyclone Chido, described as “one of the most intense storms ever recorded,” tore through the region. Mozambique’s National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management (INGD) described the situation as “heart-breaking” and warned that the death toll is likely to rise further.
Chido made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday, following its deadly path through Mayotte, a French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean. The cyclone left widespread devastation, and hundreds of people are feared dead in Mayotte, including over 200 Red Cross volunteers who are still unaccounted for.
In Mozambique, more than 34,000 families have lost their homes to Chido’s destructive winds, which reached speeds of up to 260km/h (160mph). Schools, health facilities, and fishing boats were also destroyed, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation. Cabo Delgado, where Chido first made landfall, along with Niassa and Nampula provinces, has been heavily affected. The fatalities include a three-year-old girl, and many others lost their lives due to collapsing walls and falling debris, according to INGD spokesperson Paulo Tomas.
The cyclone has also severely disrupted power and communications. State-owned utility Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) reported that approximately 200,000 customers remain without electricity.
Meanwhile, the situation in Mayotte is equally catastrophic. Chido is the strongest storm to hit the region in over 90 years, causing massive destruction to infrastructure, downing power lines, and blocking roads, which has made emergency operations nearly impossible.
The official death toll in Mayotte stands at 21, but there are fears that hundreds, if not thousands, may have perished. Tommaso Della Longa of the International Federation of Red Cross described the destruction as apocalyptic, saying that entire areas have been “completely destroyed and washed away.” Over 200 Red Cross volunteers are among those still missing.
French MP Estelle Youssouffa, who represents Mayotte, expressed deep concern, saying that 90% of buildings have been damaged. She fears that tens of thousands may have died, particularly among undocumented migrants, many of whom refused to go to shelters for fear of deportation. “By definition, it’s a population that is not on the radar of the administration,” Youssouffa explained, adding that the full extent of the loss may never be known.
To curb chaos and looting in the aftermath, French authorities have imposed a night-time curfew in Mayotte.
This devastating cyclone comes just a year after Mozambique suffered the wrath of Cyclone Freddy, one of the longest-lived storms ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere. Freddy claimed over 180 lives in Mozambique, according to the World Meteorological Organization, underscoring the region’s growing vulnerability to extreme weather events.
As Mozambique and Mayotte face yet another humanitarian disaster, the scale of Chido’s impact highlights the urgent need for both emergency assistance and long-term solutions to support vulnerable communities in cyclone-prone regions.
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