The new prime minister said that Sri Lanka only had one day of gasoline reserves left

“Right now, we only have one day’s gas reserve left. The next few months will be the hardest of our lives,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said of the situation. Crisis in Sri Lanka on May 16, according to Reuters.

“We have to be willing to make some sacrifices and face challenges during this period,” the leader said.

People wait in line to buy gasoline in Colombo on May 16 reuters

In Colombo, the commercial capital, people lined up at gas stations to wait in vain since the early morning of May 16. Many people have been waiting for 6 to 7 hours but still it is not clear if there will be goods or not.

Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera on the same day urged people not to queue to buy petrol for the next three days, until 1,190 gas stations have goods for sale.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said two shipments of gasoline and two shipments of diesel, purchased using a line of credit provided by India, could help the country respond to the crisis in the next few days. Besides gasoline, Sri Lanka is facing a shortage of 14 basic medicines, and the country urgently needs $75 million to import essential items, according to the new prime minister.

The severe economic crisis led to protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family, culminating in the fact that his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, resign as prime minister last week. Conflict Between pro-government forces and protesters, nine people were killed and 300 injured.

Mr. Wickremesinghe, who has served as prime minister five times before and is now an opposition MP, has been appointed the new prime minister by the Sri Lankan president.