Cyclone slams into France's Mayotte archipelago, killing at least 11

At least 11 people were killed after a cyclone slammed into Mayotte, the most intense storm to hit the French Indian Ocean archipelago north of Madagascar in nearly a century, French weather forecasters and authorities said on Sunday.

Cyclone Chido swept through Mayotte overnight, Meteo-France said, bringing winds of more than 200 kilometres an hour and damaging makeshift housing, government buildings and a hospital. It was the strongest storm in more than 90 years to hit the islands, the forecaster said.

It was difficult to ascertain the precise death toll after the cyclone, which also raised concerns about access to food, water and sanitation, authorities said.

Cyclone Chido then slammed into Mozambique early on Sunday, appearing to have intensified as it crossed the Mozambique Channel overnight to make landfall around 40 kilometres south of the northern city of Pemba, weather services said.

UNICEF said it was on the ground to help the people impacted by the storm, which had already caused some damage.

"Many homes, schools and health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed and we are working closely with government to ensure continuity of essential basic services," it said in a statement.

The storm was expected to bring thunderstorms and strong winds to the Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces, the Mozambique weather service said. More than 250 millimetres of precipitation were expected in 24 hours, it added.

Video images from Pemba showed heavy rain and trees bent by the wind. There were reports that some homes had been damaged by the storm.