Queues form at petrol stations as daily life resumes in Sri Lanka following state of emergency

Long queues formed at petrol stations in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital of Colombo on Monday, 18 July, as daily life resumed following the declaration of a state of emergency by acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Mr Wickremesinghe became president after his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled abroad.

The state of emergency was declared in an attempt to curb protests over the country’s economic collapse.

“It (the state of emergency) is going to take us from bad to worse. There is no hope in this country,” Father Manu Kumar said.

Click here to sign up for our newsletters.