An estimated 90% of the capital Port-au-Prince is now under control of criminal groups who are expanding attacks into previously peaceful areas, a U.N. official said.

The Dominican Republic's minister of foreign affairs is warning that time “has run out” and Haiti faces a possible total collapse if immediate intervention does not occur.

Violent armed gangs now have some 90 per cent of Port-au-Prince under their grip, said Ghada Waly, director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. The previous assessment was 85 per cent.