Cyclone Chido caused extensive damage on the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, leaving several people dead, officials said Saturday, as the storm roared toward the east coast of Africa.

Relatives of families struggling after Cyclone Chido ripped through the French island territory of Mayotte expressed helplessness Wednesday, a day before France’s president and another 180 tons of aid were expected to arrive.

Tropical Cyclone Chido struck southeast Africa, killing "perhaps a few thousand" in France's Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday and then hitting Mozambique on Sunday, officials said.