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Hundreds are feared dead on the French island territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean after a devastating cyclone with winds of up to 140 miles per hour struck the region.
Authorities warn the death toll could rise to “close to a thousand or even several thousand.” The central hospital has suffered significant damage and waves as high as eight meters have battered the island.
It’s the worst cyclone to hit the area in 90 years, with many residents living in vulnerable shanty towns. One survivor described seeing an entire neighborhood disappear.
Mayotte, home to 300,000 people, remains one of France’s poorest regions.
