Description
As Sri Lankans queues for kerosene, used to fire the cooking stoves of poorer households, anger is mounting over the worst economic crisis in living memory.
"Don't they (politicians) have any shame?" asks a labourer in the sweltering heat.
A critical lack of foreign currency has left the island nation unable to pay for vital imports, leading to dire shortages in everything from life-saving medicines to cement.
Long lines for fuel that start forming before dawn are forums for public grievances, where neighbours complain bitterly about government mismanagement and fret over how to feed their families as food prices skyrocket.
IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES (in sequences)