KUALA LUMPUR: The unexpected has occurred in Malaysia when some petrol stations ran out of fuel due to the high demand during the Hari Raya celebration.
The situation first surfaced early this morning on social media platforms where affected consumers shared their experiences of being stranded on highways, unable to fill up their tanks.
Shasya Edora took to her Twitter account to share her experience this morning while expressing disbelief that such a thing could happen.
"What's happening? No fuel on the east coast? From Besut (Terengganu) to Kuantan (Pahang). So many cars stranded," she wrote.
Another Twitter account Sepatah Dua Media said there were too many vehicles to count waiting for petrol supply to arrive.
"Too many vehicles are stranded, all waiting for supply to arrive. The Setiu petrol station had totally ran out of supply," he wrote.
According to another Twitter user, he saw several lorries carrying fuel getting stuck in heavy traffic in Kuantan.
Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) president Datuk Khairul Annuar Abdul Aziz said the country had never witnessed a situation where petrol was inadequate during a festive season.
"Usually, if there is a lack of petrol supply at any station, it wouldn't last for more than 24 hours. What's happening is extraordinary and unexpected," he told Berita Harian today.
Due to the unforeseen situation, Khairul advised all transport users facing the same dilemma to be patient as supplies were on their way.
"For those who have yet to start their journey, I would advise them to fill up their tanks a day before they want to start driving home.
"Another option is to fill up the petrol a day before and then fill it up again along the way so that you will continue to have enough petrol while on the road.
"For example, if you are coming from Gurun, Kedah and heading towards the Klang Valley, fill up the petrol in Gurun first and fill it up again when you're around Ipoh, Perak."