Marine Le Pen evacuated after Mayotte barge collision Ten Injured

Two barges travelling between Petite Terre and Grande Terre collided in Mayotte just before 11am, leaving ten people injured, including Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, who was aboard the Georges Nahouda at the time.

She was evacuated by a border police boat to safety, Caliber.Az reports per French media.

The incident involved two barges, La Chatouilleuse and Georges Nahouda, which are used for the vital link between Petite Terre and Grande Terre, with the crash occurring as the vessels were in proximity to each other.

Marine Le Pen, who was en route to Paris after visiting Mayotte in the wake of Cyclone Chido, described the event as "incomprehensible." Speaking to Mayotte la 1ère, she said, “The speed was incredible. It was almost at full power… It was incomprehensible, given the distance we were at. We were quite close. It could have been worse.”

One of the passengers aboard La Chatouilleuse provided further details, stating, “It wasn’t a head-on collision but a side impact.”

In total, ten people were injured, including the captain of the Georges Nahouda. Emergency services have reported that eight of the injured sustained minor injuries, mostly to their limbs, and their conditions are not considered serious.

Five have been transported to the makeshift hospital in Cavani, while four others were evacuated to the Mamoudzou Hospital for further treatment.

Following the incident, barge operations between the two islands have been temporarily suspended, according to the Departmental Council. Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville and the President of the CD 976, Ben Issa Ousseni, both quickly arrived at the scene to oversee the situation. An investigation will be launched to determine the exact circumstances of the collision.

By Aghakazim Guliyev