Communities were flattened when the cyclone swept across the area on Saturday (15 December), with gusts of wind reaching more than 225km/h (140mph).
The ministry said it was proving difficult to get a precise tally of the dead and injured and Mayotte Prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville said the number of dead could rise to thousands due to the “violence of this event.”
The French interior ministry said “it will be difficult to account for all victims” and that it could not say how many had been killed at this stage.
Forecaster Meteo-France said the cyclone was the strongest storm to hit the islands in more than 90 years.
Latest hurricane forecast as Cyclone Freddy hits Mauritius on approach to Madagascar
Read MoreHe said: “My thoughts are with our compatriots in Mayotte, who have gone through the most horrific few hours, and who have, for some, lost everything, lost their lives.”
Located nearly 8,000 km (5,000 miles) from Paris and a four-day trip by sea, Mayotte is significantly poorer than the rest of France and has grappled with gang violence and social unrest for decades.
Some 77% of the people in Mayotte live below the French poverty line.
The cyclone went on to hit northern Mozambique on Sunday, but the full extent of its impact there was not clear.
France colonised Mayotte in 1843 and annexed the whole archipelago, including Comoros, in 1904.
Additional reporting by Associated Press.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Thousands of people feared dead after cyclone in French territory of Mayotte )
Also on site :