Bankrupt Sri Lanka forced to save fuel for cremations

Bankrupt Sri Lanka will reserve a portion of its scarce fuel supplies for the cremation of Buddhists, whose funeral rites have been disrupted during a dire economic crisis.

The island nation’s 22 million people have faced months of food, petrol and medicine shortages after traders ran out of money to import essentials.

Local media reported that several cemeteries outside the capital Colombo had cancelled cremation services after running out of liquefied petroleum gas, instead offering burials to bereaved families.