The powerful hurricane, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, slammed into Haiti on Tuesday, whipping it with 230 kilometre an hour winds and torrential rains.

READ MORE: Horrors left by Hurricane Matthew become clear in Haiti

The country is struggling to cope with a rise in cholera cases with officials warning that contaminated water and a lack of hygiene are posing serious risks to thousands of people in the impoverished country.48c1a36a8a48427685a7f86210ac8e09_8

While the capital and biggest city, Port-au-Prince, was largely spared, the south suffered devastation. Aerial footage from the hardest-hit towns shows a ruined landscape of shanties with tin roofs blown away and downed trees everywhere. Mud from overflowing rivers covered the ground.

Citing local officials, Reuters news agency reported that at least 1,000 Haitians had been killed.

IN PICTURES: Scenes of destruction in Haiti

Authorities began burying the dead in mass graves in some areas – such as Jeremie, a city of 30,000 people – as bodies started to decompose, said Kedner Frenel…..

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