Macron visits cyclone-hit Mayotte as residents call for urgent aid

French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte to survey the devastation caused by a cyclone. Thousands of people are struggling without basic essentials, and there are growing concerns over a rising death toll, News.az reports citing foreign media.

"Mayotte is demolished," an airport security agent told Macron on Thursday as soon as he stepped of the plane.

The security agent, Assane Haloi, said her family members, including small children, are without water or electricity and have nowhere to go, after Cyclone Chido, the strongest cyclone in nearly a century, ripped through the French territory on Saturday.

"There's no roof, there's nothing. No water, no food, no electricity. We can't even shelter, we are all wet with our children covering ourselves with whatever we have so that we can sleep," she said, asking for emergency aid.

Macron went on a helicopter for an aerial appraisal of the damage. He then headed to the hospital in Mamoudzou, Mayotte's capital, to meet with medical staff and patients.

News.Az