France’s Mayotte hit by floods and mudslides as second storm strikes

The storm brought violent winds, flash floods, and landslides on Sunday morning, prompting authorities to issue a red alert. François-Xavier Bieuville, the prefect of Mayotte, reported heavy rains causing significant damage and predicted the alert would remain until Monday evening.

Videos showed widespread flooding and infrastructure damage, with Mbouini, a village spared by Cyclone Chido, now submerged. Emergency sheltlers have been set up, housing over 14,500 displaced residents.

Heavy flooding due to cyclone Dikeledi in Mayotte, France 🇫🇷 (12.01.2025) pic.twitter.com/RxM6acZdDN

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Dikeledi made landfall in northern Madagascar on Saturday, killing at least three people, before passing 100 km (62 miles) south of Mayotte on Sunday. The storm is expected to intensify as it moves toward Mozambique, though landfall is not anticipated.

The impoverished region of Mayotte, home to 320,000 residents and thousands of undocumented migrants, is still recovering from Cyclone Chido, which brought 260 km/h (160 mph) winds in December, killing 39 and displacing many.

(With inputs from BBC)