Hundreds, possibly thousands are feared dead after Cyclone Chido hit the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.

The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is “several hundred” and may run into the thousands, the island’s top government official told a local broadcaster Sunday.

Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage on the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, leaving several people dead, officials said Saturday, as the storm roared toward the east coast of Africa.

A cyclone barrelling towards southeast Africa for the last four days caused widespread devastation in Mayotte after it struck the French oversea region as the most powerful storm in 90 years. Cyclone Chido made landfall on Saturday night with winds reaching over 200kph,

The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is “several hundred” and may be close to 1,000, the island’s top government official told the local broadcaster Sunday. Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville told TV station Mayotte la 1ere that “I think there are some several hundred dead,

The prefect of Mayotte said the death toll could climb. The storm, the equivalent of a Category 3, made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday.

Local authorities said Sunday that the likely death toll from cyclone Chido's passage across Mayotte was "definitely several hundred" though the disruption means reaching an exact count will be difficult.