In Haiti, medical services were said to have been overwhelmed by people suffering from injuries, such as broken bones, as a result of the storm which hit four days ago. According to Reuters, seven people died from cholera and there were another 17 cases reported, with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) predicting more.

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In a statement issued by PAHO, it said: "Due to massive flooding and its impact on water and sanitation infrastructure, cholera cases are expected to surge after Hurricane Matthew and through the normal rainy season until the start of 2017."

The news of the increasing death toll follows comments made on Friday that it could take 18 months for Haiti to recover from the storm. Charity Christian Aid told Sky News that Haiti, which was crippled by an earthquake claiming 200,000 lives in 2010, was in a "critical" condition.

In the US states of emergency were declared in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. In total four deaths had been reported, according to CNN, and 1.2 million had been left without power. Almost a million people had been evacuated across Florida and South Carolina, according to ABC News.

The storm apparently made landfall in South Carolina on Saturday morning local time, and forecast to track to the coast of North Carolina by Saturday evening at a speed of around 12mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Sustained winds had subdued somewhat from around 105mph to 75mph, a situation report on its website said.

Meanwhile, Georgia and South Carolina had both experienced storm surge flooding as the NHC warned of "life threatening inundation" by storm surges. It said: "There is a danger of life-threatening inundation during the next 36 hours along the coast from Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to Bogue Inlet, North Carolina, as well as from Cape Lookout to Salvo, North Carolina including portions of the Pamlico Sound."

Interstate 95, which runs the length of the US's east coast, was said to be "impassable" towards the southern part of South Carolina. The state's authorities urged motorists to stay off the roads

Despite warnings issued by emergency services on Twitter, people in affected areas took to social media to share scenes of devastation.

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