A moment of silence was observed today in the Plenary Meeting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, in memory of the victims of the cyclone that swept the Mayotte archipelago.
“Mayotte is Europe and Europe will not abandon you. We are determined to offer you all the necessary support,” said the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola, in a short speech at the beginning of the last session of the year.
Fear of more dead
Mayotte, a French archipelago in the Indian Ocean, was hit this weekend by Cyclone Shido. Authorities fear the death toll could rise to “hundreds dead” and a race is on to get help for those affected.
“The devastating cyclone that hit Mayotte afterwards left pain and destruction, hundreds of people lost, houses were destroyed, communities were shaken to their foundations but they are still standing”, emphasized Roberta Metzola in front of the MEPs .
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and all those who are showing great courage in this very difficult ordeal,” he said.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leynen, said yesterday, Sunday, that the EU is ready to help Mayotte. “Europe stands with the people of Mayotte in this terrible crisis. We are ready to offer support in the coming days,” he wrote on social networking platform X.
Sources: AMPE, AFP