Thousands are feared dead after an island in the Indian Ocean was hit by a devastating cyclone which carried 163mph winds and left a trail of destruction likened to the aftermath of a nuclear war.

Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte, France‘s poorest region, over the weekend, and has been considered the most violent that the island has experienced in almost a century.

Chido’s dizzying winds tore through the archipelago and left buildings heavily damaged, vehicles destroyed, and the main airport and hospital completely wrecked. Authorities previously reported at least 11 people killed by the vicious cyclone, but fears are rising that this toll could creep into the thousands as emergency workers race to find survivors.

Mayotte Prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville told local TV: ‘I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we’ll get close to a thousand, even thousands… given the violence of this event.’

However, he said it was currently ‘extremely difficult’ to get an exact number.

The Interior Ministry echoed these concerns, saying it could not confirm any figures at this stage, as a Mayotte local explained: ‘What we are experiencing is a tragedy, it feels like the day after a nuclear war. I saw an entire neighborhood disappear.’

French civil security spokesperson Alexandre Jouassard told the France 2 news channel: ‘The next minutes and hours are very important.

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