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.

The death toll in the French territory of Mayotte from Cyclone Chido is "several hundred" and may run into the thousands.

Several hundred people are reportedly feared dead while thousands are suspected to have been killed in Mayotte, France after Cyclone ‘Chido’ hit the French Indian Ocean archipelago, a senior French official said on Sunday.