Fears of Humanitarian Crisis on Mayotte After Cyclone
The New York Times
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.
Emergency workers are racing to rescue survivors on Monday from the wreckage of homes, schools and businesses in Mayotte, a French territory off the eastern coast of Africa that was devastated by Tropical Cyclone Chido over the weekend.
At least 14 people were killed and more than 250 were injured in Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, according to preliminary figures, and there were fears that the death toll could be higher.
“I think that there will be several hundred” deaths, François-Xavier Bieuville, France’s top-ranking representative on the archipelago, told a local news channel.
“Maybe we will be closer to a thousand, maybe several thousand,” added Mr. Bieuville.
France’s interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said from Mayotte’s main island on Monday that it would take days to establish a death toll, although the ministry said that it was likely that they be unable to count all the victims.
Many residents are Muslims, who in keeping with tradition try to bury their dead within 24 hours. And about a third of the territory’s 320,000 people are undocumented, the ministry said, adding to the challenge of compiling an accurate toll.
A centuries-old bell rang and an archbishop knocked at the Gothic cathedral’s great doors, which reopened for a V.I.P. ceremony after its monumental reconstruction. It opens to the public on Sunday.
Two war monitoring groups said Syria’s military had pulled out of a number of Damascus suburbs where anti-government protests erupted. The movements could not immediately be confirmed.
President Yoon Suk Yeol said he would not seek to impose martial law again and that he would leave his fate to his party. Lawmakers will vote on whether to impeach him later on Saturday.
The leader of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s own party has backed impeachment, on which the National Assembly is set to vote on Saturday.
The military has spent decades trying to rehabilitate its image and win public trust after a brutal past. Its role in President Yoon’s martial law raised a specter from that era.
Top military officials offered the first inside account of when President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law. Mr. Yoon faces impeachment on Saturday, and massive protests against him are planned.
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s attempt to break a political deadlock by imposing military rule collapsed within hours, leaving him with few defenders. A vote to impeach him could come as soon as Friday.
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s attempt to break a political deadlock by imposing military rule collapsed within hours, leaving him with few defenders. A vote to impeach him could come as soon as Friday.
The effort to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol reflected fury over his audacious declaration of martial law in response to political gridlock. He lifted the order within hours after it sparked protests.
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s top aides offered to resign hours after he rescinded his extraordinary order. Protesters are calling for his resignation as lawmakers prepare to meet.
President Yoon Suk Yeol formally lifted martial law in a cabinet meeting early Wednesday, six hours after he declared it, and after protesters filled the street, calling for his removal from office.