Sri Lanka struggling to secure fresh fuel supplies - minister

FILE PHOTO: Vehicles queue for diesel and petrol as they wait for a bowser since yesterday, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 23, 2022. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte/File Photo

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is struggling to secure fresh fuel supplies, a top government minister said on Sunday, as the crisis-hit country of 22 million people is down to just 15,000 tons of petrol and diesel to keep essential services running in the coming days.

The island is wilting under its worst financial crisis in seven decades with foreign exchange reserves at record lows leaving it scrambling to pay for essential imports including fuel, food and medicine.