Close to a thousand feared dead as cyclone hits French island

Several hundred people are feared dead on the French island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, after a cyclone brought wind speeds of 140mph (225kmh), BBC reports.

The island's prefect warns the number killed will reach "close to a thousand or even several thousand" - French authorities say the central hospital has suffered "significant" damage.

It's the worst cyclone to hit the island in 90 years, with waves up to eight metres high, BBC Weather's Sarah Keith-Lucas writes.

Mayotte is one of the poorest parts of France - with many of the 300,000 population living in shanty towns.

One resident says he "saw an entire neighbourhood disappear."