Pope Francis prays for cyclone victims on Mayotte - help on the go!

Pope Francis prays for cyclone victims on Mayotte - help on the go!

Mayotte, Frankreich - In a shattering event, the devastating “Chido” cyclone hit the French Komoren Island Mayotte and left a wave of destruction. The storm, which swept over the densely populated island in the Indian Ocean at the weekend, has demanded more than 20 lives, with authorities, even more death sods. This was announced on Sunday evening by Pope Francis, who called on to pray for the people concerned and to express his proximity to the victims of the drama, so kathpress.at .

rescue teams and medical staff from France as well as the nearby La Réunion island have been sent to the island as soon as possible to help the victims and to assess the devastating damage. The Prefect of Mayotte, François-Xavier Bieuville, emphasized the severe destruction in the slums, where informal huts and infrastructure are severely affected. The main airport and other essential facilities were badly damaged, which initially only possible through military aircraft, which makes the auxiliary efforts difficult, reported Vaticannews.va .

international reactions and help

The Pope addressed the consolation to the victims and their relatives during his last general audience on this month, asked prayers for peace in other crisis areas and emphasized the need to think of those in need during the upcoming holidays. In his view, the loss of life due to natural disasters is always an immense tragedy, and the approaching Christmas should encourage us to show solidarity with the suffering.

The French authorities have already announced that more than 800 emergency services will be provided in the coming days to stabilize the situation and to provide the sacrifices of the cyclone the urgently needed help. In view of the particularly poor conditions in Mayotte, the dramatic situation is more complex due to the enormous challenges of repair and support from the population, while the international community reacts to the devastating images from the affected area.