Mayotte hit by floods and mudslides from second storm Dikeledi

The French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte has been hit by further heavy rains, leading to flooding and mudslides, one month after Cyclone Chido devastated large parts of the islands and left dozens dead.

The archipelago was put on the highest state of alert as another storm passed by on Sunday morning. Authorities warned of violent winds, flash floods and landslides.

Videos on social media show downed power lines and some flooding. Local TV reported that the southern village of Mbouini, the only settlement left untouched by Cyclone Chido, was under water.

The latest storm, Dikeledi, made landfall in northern Madagascar on Saturday, killing at least three people.

The storm passed approximately 100 km (62 miles) south of Mayotte around 09:00 GMT on Sunday, according to forecaster Météo-France.

“Extremely heavy rains are beginning to trickle down,” François-Xavier Bieuville, the prefect of Mayotte, told French news channel BFMTV.

They were causing the first floods “and relatively significant mudslides” across the territory, he added.

The prefect said it was likely the island would remain on red alert until Monday evening, since heavy rain was expected to continue even after the storm had passed.

At least 14,500 people have taken refuge in emergency shelters set up to protect them from the storm, BFMTV reported.

As of Sunday afternoon, the storm was moving away from Mayotte, Météo-France reported. The system is expected to slowly intensify over the next 24 hours to tropical cyclone status while approaching the coast of Mozambique.

The current forecast does not predict landfall in Mozambique, but the Nampula region is still expected to experience “very degraded conditions”, the forecaster said.

Mozambique is also recovering from Cyclone Chido, which killed 120 people in the country.

In Mayotte, one of the poorest parts of France, many residents live in shanty towns.

Officially the archipelago has 320,000 residents, but authorities estimate about 100,000 to 200,000 undocumented migrants may also be living there.

On 14 December, Cyclone Chido became the worst storm to hit Mayotte in 90 years, bringing winds of up to 260 km/h (160mph) and flattening areas where people lived in shacks with metal roofs.

Initial reports said several hundred people had been killed, but the toll was later revised down to 39.