One dead & 12 injured as Sri Lankan police open fire at protestors in Rambukkana

The police in Sri Lanka for the first time since anti-government protests over an economic crisis started fired at protesters on Tuesday (19) , killing one and injuring several people. A police spokesperson confirmed they had to fire at the protesters after the mobs turned violent and threw stones at them.

The injured individual, who was rushed to the Kegalle Teaching Hospital, was pronounced dead due to gunshot wounds, the director of the hospital Dr. Mihiri Priyangani confirmed. 11 other injured protesters who were at the scene have also been admitted to the Kegalle Teaching Hospital. Four of them are reportedly in critical condition.

The people had blocked a highway in central Sri Lanka's Rambukkana, 95 km from capital Colombo, to protest acute oil shortages and high prices.

A severe fuel shortage sparked spontaneous protests across Sri Lanka earlier today, with tens of thousands of angry motorists burning tyres and blocking the major road leading into the capital.

A police spokesperson said curfew has been imposed in Rambukkana police division.

Sri Lanka has run out of dollars to finance vital imports including food, medicine and fuel, sparking weeks of protests calling for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the country's worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.