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.

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.

Tropical Cyclone Chido struck southeast Africa, killing "perhaps a few thousand" in France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday and then hitting Mozambique on Sunday, officials said.