Although Mayotte’s prefect has warned that the death toll could reach thousands, preliminary numbers from France’s interior ministry indicate that 22 people have died.
Because retailers are restricting goods and communities have reported a lack of clean drinking water, health experts are worried that infectious diseases could spread. On Wednesday, further relief is expected to arrive.
In an effort to stop looting, islanders were placed under curfew for the first time on Tuesday from 22:00 local time to 4:00 on Wednesday (19:00 and 1:00 GMT).
“To get water, everyone is running to the stores. “There is a general shortage,” 39-year-old Ali Ahmidi Youssouf told AFP on Wednesday as he strolled around the village of Pamandzi, which is off the main island of the archipelago, holding a few bottles.
