Health chiefs are examining at least 120 suspected cases of cholera in Haiti's capital, the most significant warning sign yet that the epidemic has spread from outlying areas to threaten as many as three million people.

At least 20 people died when Hurricane Tomas brushed past Haiti, more than double the number initially reported, the country’s civil protection department said today.

United Nations investigators took samples of foul-smelling waste trickling behind a Nepalese peacekeeping base in Haiti amid claims that sewage from the newly arrived unit caused the cholera epidemic that has made more than 4,000 people ill.

UNITED Nations officials warn that cholera, which is easily treatable but can kill at alarming speed, has a foothold in Haiti, and could fester in the country for years.