Bangladesh started fuel rationing on Sunday as the war in the Middle East deepened an energy crunch, creating long queues at filling stations and boiling over into anger.
The country of 170 million people imports 95 percent of its oil and gas needs. Following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes throughout the Gulf, the national oil company, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), restricted fuel sales for most vehicles.
The government capped fuel purchases for several types of vehicles as panic buying and hoarding spread following warnings of possible supply disruptions. For example, motorcyclists are now limited to a maximum of two liters (0.5 US gallons) per tank. “Consumers tend to buy more than they usually purchase” during times of crisis, BPC said in a statement.
One person was killed on Saturday night in the southern district of Jhenaidah after an altercation with filling station staff over refuelling, triggering unrest. Following the death of Nirob Hossain, 25, angry crowds torched three buses and vandalised a filling station, police officer Md Mahfuz Afzal said. As soon as the restrictions became effective on Sunday, long queues of vehicles formed outside numerous gas stations in the capital Dhaka. BPC said that fuel deliveries were expected soon.
