'E be like wia nuclear war just happun' - Mayotte residents tok

Residents of Mayotte don tok about di "apocalyptic scenes" wey di worst storm in 90 years to hit di French Indian Ocean territory cause.

Cyclone Chido bring wind speed of more dan 225km/h (140mph), tearing down areas wia di poorest dey live in tin-roof shacks.

"We no get water for three days now," one resident of di capital city, Mamoudzou tok. "Some of my neighbours dey hungry and thirsty," anoda one tok.

Rescue workers, including reinforcements from France, dey search di debris for survivors. Di local prefect tok say pipo wey don die fit don reach thousands.

Authorities tok say dem dey get difficulty to establish di number of deaths due to di large number of undocumented migrants - ova 100,000 - in population of 320,000.

Widespread damage to infrastructure - wit down power lines and impassable road- dey hinder emergency operations.

One first flight wit supplies don arrive wit tarpaulins for emergency shelters but shortages of food, water and shelter dey for certain areas.

Mamoudzou resident, John Balloz, tok say e dey surprise e no die wen di cyclone strike.

"I dey shout becos I fit see di end coming for me," e tok.

"Everytin don damage, nearly everytin, di water treatment plant, electric pylons, there's a lot to do.

"Notin pipo fit do, pipo still dey stay, dem neva move, dem dey wait for help, help for food, for di electricity to be back up, and water also, dem no get no running water."

Mohamed Ishmael, wey dey live in di capital,tell Reuters news agency di situation na "tragedy" and say: "You feel like you dey in di aftermath of nuclear war… I see di entire neighbourhood disappear."

"Na di hunger dey worry me most," Mayotte Senator Salama Ramia tell French media. "We get pipo wey no get anytin to chop or drink" since Saturday, she tok.

Francois-Xavier Bieuville, di island prefect, tell local media di number of pipo wey die fit don rise significantly once dem don fully assess di damage. E warn say e go "definitely be several hundred" and e fit reach di thousands.

Mayotte na poor community, including undocumented migrants wey fit travel to di French territory to claim asylum, dem tink say dem don hit dem hard due to di vulnerable nature of dia housing.

Di Muslim tradition of burying deadibody witin 24 hours also mean say documenting di number of pipo wey don die go dey harder, di prefect tok.

In addition to aid, 110 French sojas don arrive to help wit rescue, wit anoda 160 on di way.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau don scheduled to visit di island to assess di damage and co-ordinate further relief efforts.

Na Reunion dey co-ordinate di relief operation - anoda French overseas territory.

French Red Cross tok-tok pesin Eric Sam Vah tell di BBC di situation dey "chaotic".

E tok say e don reach only 20 out of 200 Red Cross volunteers in Mayotte fear about di overall number of pipo wey die.

"Di totality of di slums don totally destroy, we neva receive any reports of displaced pipo, so di reality fit dey terrible in di coming days,"Oga Vah tell BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

France colonise Mayotte in 1841 - and by di turn of di 20th Century add di three main island wey constitute di Comoros archipelago to dia overseas territories.

Di Comoros vote to become independent in 1974 but Mayotte decide to remain part of France.

Di island population dey heavily dependent on French financial help and dey struggle wit poverty, unemployment and political instability.

About 75% of di population dey live below di national poverty line and unemployment dey among one in three pipo.

Cyclone Chido also make landfall for Mozambique, wia e bring flash flooding, uproot trees and destroy buildings about 25 miles (40km) south of di northern city of Pemba. Three pipo don reportedly die.

Di cyclone cause structural damage and power outages in di northern coastal provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado on Saturday morning, local authorities report.

Guy Taylor, tok-tok pesin for aid agency Unicef in Mozambique, tok say, "E hit us very hard in di early hours of dis morning".

"Many houses don destroy or seriously damage, and healthcare facilities and schools don dey out of action," e add.

Oga Taylor say Unicef dey concern about "loss of access to critical services", including medical treatment, clean water and sanitation, and also "di spread of disease like cholera and malaria".

Chido na di latest deadly storm wey dey intensity being ascribed by many to climate change.

Di "exceptional" cyclone na super-charged by particularly warm Indian Ocean waters, meteorologist Francois Gourand of di Meteo France weather service tell AFP.