Cuba runs short on fuel at pump as energy crisis festers

14/12/2024 8:04

Cubans still reeling from months of hours-long blackouts now have a new problem on their hands: fuel shortages.



Many gas stations across the island have been shuttered for days as an unusually severe shortfall has left the nation nearly devoid of gasoline and diesel, stranding motorists and sprouting seemingly interminable lines at the pump in Havana.



"We have been waiting for a fuel truck to arrive for three days," said Armando Corrales from the driver's seat of his gray Kia SUV at a gas station in the capital. "People have slept here in line so they don't lose their spot."



The latest crisis comes on the heels of three nationwide blackouts in two months that left millions in the dark for days, prompting the communist-run government to temporarily close schools and non-essential industry.