Sri Lanka has been going through the worst economic crisis in its history since gaining independence in 1948 and there has been a massive uproar among the public regarding the entire situation. The situation got worse on Saturday as the military opened fire on civilians in order to stop them from rioting at a fuel station as fuel prices continue to rise. According to Sri Lanka government officials, the incident took place in Visuvamadu, 365km (228 miles) north of Colombo as the crowd pelted stones at the guards who were present at the station. “A group of 20 to 30 people pelted stones and damaged an army truck,” army spokesperson Nilantha Premaratne said according to Reuters.
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The police said that four civilians and three soldiers were injured in the conflict. The problem started when the fuel station ran out of petrol and the people present started to protest.
This was not an isolated incident as the troops were deployed near the fuel stations.
There were reports of a number of similar incidents all around Sri Lanka and at least six constables and seven motorists were injured as clashes took place in three different locations.
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Along with the fuel crisis, the country is also going through a massive food shortage and according to the United Nations, the situation can get worse with millions needing aid in the coming years.
Earlier, the Sri Lanka government announced a shut-down on public sector offices and asked government schoolteachers to conduct online lessons due to the ongoing crisis in the country.
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