Madagascar drought: 330,000 people 'one step from famine', UN warns

Food and Agriculture Organisation says 330,000 people are on verge of 'a food security catastrophe' following sustained drought that has decimated crops

The severe drought afflicting southern Madagascar has left 330,000 people on the brink of famine, a senior UN official has warned.

Three successive years of failed rains have left the island nation wrestling with crop failure and a chronic lack of food and clean drinking water, with agencies warning last month that nearly 850,000 people are experiencing "alarming" hunger levels.