Seychelles
New wave of Chinese tourists, businesspeople drawn to the Seychelles
The Seychelles archipelago off the east coast of Africa is a cultural melting pot. Longtime residents there include people with Chinese ancestry. But Beijing’s investments in the strategically located country have also attracted new arrivals from China looking to do business with the island nation. Kate Bartlett reports from the main island of Mahe. Camera: Herbert Labrosse. Video editor: Elizabeth Lee. Rassin Vannier contributed.
Climate-change-battered Seychelles takes part in Hague case
The Seychelles, a small island nation off the east coast of Africa, is among the countries participating in a climate change hearing taking place through December 13 at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. Kate Bartlett visited the main island, Mahé, to see how residents are coping with rising sea levels and a warming ocean.
Seychelles Declares State of Emergency After Blast, Flooding
NAIROBI — A blast at a store that sells explosives wrecked buildings and caused massive damage to an industrial zone on the Seychelles' main island Mahe, officials said, prompting the president to declare a state of emergency on Thursday.
The blast shook the island as heavy rains triggered flooding which killed three people, the president told reporters on Thursday, calling for a minute of silence.
Footage broadcast on national television showed streets covered in deep mud and strewn with debris and uprooted trees.
A statement released by President Wavel Ramkalawan's office said "following an explosion at the CCCL explosives store that has caused massive damage to the Providence Industrial area and the surrounding areas and major destruction caused by flooding due to heavy rains, the president has declared a State of Emergency for today the 7th December."
"Everyone is being asked to stay at home. All schools will be closed. Only workers in the essential services and persons traveling will be allowed free movement," the statement added.
The government's official Visit Seychelles account on X said the international airport and ferries between its islands remained operational for tourists.
The Seychelles, a major tourist destination, is made up of 115 islands and is the least populous country in Africa with about 100,000 people.
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