Rescuers are trying to reach survivors on the French island of Mayotte after the territory, off the coast of east Africa, was hit by a cyclone over the weekend. The death toll could reach "close to a thousand or even several thousand", the island's prefect, Francois-Xavier Bieuville, says.

While the confirmed casualties is already into three figures, the reality could reach into the thousands as the natural disaster hits hard.

The official death toll so far is 14, but there are fears that the number killed in the French territory by Tropical Cyclone Chido could be much higher.