Another shortage of diesel fuel in Upper Egypt has forced car and truck drivers to spend hours queuing up at local gas stations. In some cases, clashes have been reported between gas station owners and frustrated patrons. "Cars have been lining up at my station for two days straight," said gas station owner Muhammad Abdel Gawad. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one official at the government-run Petroleum Authority explained that the current shortage began after cargo trains halted fuel deliveries in the wake of last month's Ayyat rail disaster. The train crash, he explained, led to a state of confusion among the railway system, leaving gas stations no choice but to depend on fuel delivered by truck. "One train car can carry as much as 1000 tons of fuel, whereas a truck can carry no more than 40 tons," the source added, going on to predict that "the problem should be resolved by Monday morning." Yehia Shanan, president of state-owned energy concern Misr Petroleum, however, accused gas stations of "hoarding" fuel in hopes of selling it on the black market at higher prices. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
