last updated: Wednesday 10 December 2008, 10:22am

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Zimbabwe cholera death toll rises to 589

Zimbabwe's cholera epidemic has now left at least 589 dead, the United Nations has said.

The number of cholera cases in Zimbabwe stands at 13,960, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

In the capital Harare, there had been 189 deaths, it added.

The spreading cholera epidemic, food shortages and economic collapse in the southern African country have led to fresh demands from Western countries for President Robert Mugabe to resign.

South African officials visited Zimbabwe to assess the scale of the crisis, responding to an unprecedented appeal for international help from Mr Mugabe's government.

Basic foodstuffs are running out, prices of goods are doubling every 24 hours, and the 100 million Zimbabwean dollar a week limit for bank withdrawals buys only three loaves of bread in the once relatively prosperous country.

The crisis has been exacerbated by political deadlock between Mr Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai over the implementation of a power-sharing deal brokered by South Africa.

Zimbabwe's health system cannot cope with the cholera epidemic and the water supply network has failed. People have been drinking from contaminated wells and streams.

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