The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic could trigger a hunger crisis in already vulnerable parts of the world, the UN warned Tuesday, as the unprecedented clampdown on commerce sent shock waves through financial markets, AFP reports.

The bleak warning comes as deaths from the virus surpassed 170,000 worldwide, with governments anxiously trying to chart a path out of the unprecedented global health and economic emergency.

Debates are raging worldwide over when and how to relax strict lockdowns.

The economic impact of the pandemic could lead to a “humanitarian catastrophe” with the number of people suffering from acute hunger projected to nearly double to 265 million this year, the UN's World Food Programme warned.

“We are on the brink of a hunger pandemic,” WFP director David Beasley told the UN Security Council in a video conference.

“Millions of civilians living in conflict-scarred nations, including many women and children, face being pushed to the brink of starvation, with the spectre of famine a very real and dangerous possibility.” The worst-case scenario could see famine in some three dozen countries, he added.