Before he fled his home, fled his country and resigned as president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa had ordered officials to ensure the smooth distribution of cooking gas after the fuel-starved country received 3,700 metric tonnes of LP gas, his office told PTI on Sunday, July 10.
As gas cylinders appear at outlets across the island, Sri Lankans rushed to stock up.
IMAGE: People queue to buy cooking gas cylinders. All photographs: Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images
IMAGE: Sri Lankans drag empty canisters to exchange with refilled ones.
IMAGE: Cooking gas cylinders unloaded from a truck.
IMAGE: A cooking gas cylinder is transported on a road outside the prime minister's office.
IMAGE: Will we get a cylinder? Anxiety is clearly etched on the faces of Sri Lankans in the queue
IMAGE: A woman drags empty gas cylinders towards a place in the queue.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com