As petrol had exhausted, motorists started to protest and the situation escalated into a clash with troops, police stated.
Sri Lanka’s troops opened fire to contain rioting at a fuel station, officials said Sunday as unprecedented queues for petrol and diesel were seen across the bankrupt country.
Troops fired in Visuvamadu, 365 kilometers (228 miles) north of Colombo, on Saturday night as their guard point was hurling stones, army spokesman Nilantha Premaratne said.
“A group of aroundĀ 20 to 30 people pelted stones and damaged an army truck,” Premaratne told AFP.
The Police stated, that four civilians and three soldiers were injured when the army opened fire for the first time to contain unrest linked to the worsening economic crisis.
As petrol had exhausted, motorists started to protest and the situation escalated into a clash with troops, police stated.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence, with the country unable to find dollars to import essentials, including food, fuel, and medicines.
The country’s 22 million population has been enduring acute shortages and long queues for scarce supplies while President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has for months resisted calls to step down over mismanagement.
Sri Lanka has deployed armed police and troops to guard fuel stations. The government declared a two-week shutdown of state institutions and schools in a bid to reduce commuting and conserve depleting fuel stocks in the impoverished nation.
Four out of five people in Sri Lanka have started skipping meals as they cannot afford to eat.
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