Authorities announced a nighttime curfew Tuesday to curb looting after a devastating cyclone hit the French overseas territory of Mayotte, with the country's prime minister warning the death toll could rise.

According to the latest toll from the interior ministry, 22 people are confirmed to have been killed and 1,373 injured by Cyclone Chido when it barrelled into the archipelago at the weekend.

But authorities fear that hundreds, and possibly even thousands, will be confirmed dead once the true scale of the toll is revealed after the rubble is cleared and roads are unblocked.

Cyclone Chido was the latest in a string of storms worldwide fuelled by climate change, with the exceptional system being super-charged by particularly warm Indian Ocean waters, according to experts.

Rescuers were searching for survivors in the wreckage and said they expected to find numerous victims in the ruins of slums such as ones in the capital Mamoudzou.

In a sign of the potential magnitude of the tragedy, the Red Cross said it feared more than 200 of its volunteers were missing on Mayotte.

"The toll is, as of today,........

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