In the past week, three people died while standing in the queue at gas stations in the Damascus countryside.
The Sowt Al-Asima correspondent said that one of the three people died during a quarrel in front of the Rabwa gas station, as a result of being shot, indicating that another person was also shot during the same quarrel.
The correspondent added that a man in his fifties died two days ago while standing in a queue outside the al-Azbakeya gas station on Baghdad Street in central Damascus, pointing out that those near the station took the man to the nearby al-Amal Hospital as soon as he collapsed, but he had already died.
Residents of Yabroud city in Western Qalamoun mourned 56-year-old Ahmed al-Damen, an engineer, who died of cardiogenic shock while standing in a queue at one of the district’s gas stations.
The correspondent said that the accident took place at the al-Dawla station, located on al-Qastal road near Mount Mar Maroun, noting that Damen fell to the ground after a four-hour wait in line.
The correspondent indicated that the people took Damen to the Yabroud National Hospital, but he passed away upon arrival, pointing out that he was buried at the Yabroud cemetery after forensic medicine confirmed that the cause of death was cardiac arrest.
The gasoline crisis has been going on for nearly a month in Damascus and its countryside, amid frequent crowding and quarrels in most of the waiting lines, in light of the widespread chaos and the complete absence of security and supplies.
Exclusive sources told Sowt Al-Asima that as per new security instructions, most private gas stations in Damascus will close from Thursday evening through Saturday evening of every week. The decision does not include stations owned by the government.
The sources indicated that the instructions aim to reap huge profits for the state treasury over the holidays, explaining that it deprived some private stations of their allocations as a way to force them to close.
According to the sources, the Baniyas refinery stopped refining gasoline nearly two weeks ago due to the lack of supplies, explaining that the refinery is currently operating at its lowest capacity, and its work is limited to refining and mixing materials.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
