Reports of widespread damage are emerging from Mayotte after a 100-year cyclone ripped across the French archipelago Saturday, inflicting devastation that one resident likened to an atomic bomb, with hundreds and possibly even thousands of feared victims.

France is racing to send rescue workers and supplies to Mayotte after the most powerful cyclone in nearly a century hit the tiny Indian Ocean territory – with fears that thousands of people could be dead.

Local authorities said the cyclone, which made landfall with 140 mph, winds devastated several “shantytowns” across the island.