Dhaka, March 7 -- Panic buying triggered by the Middle East escalation has left some filling stations in Chattogram dry, as motorists scramble to secure fuel despite government reassurances of adequate stocks.

While the government recently introduced rationing to manage supplies, it has struggled to contain the surge in demand.

On Saturday, long queues of vehicles were seen at the stations still operating, while others shut down after running out of stock.

A bdnews24.com spot check of filling stations in Gani Bakery, Muradpur, and Lalkhan Bazar on Saturday found long queues and shuttered pumps.

The Apollo-11 station at Love Lane was found closed, with staff stating their entire reserve had been exhausted.

"We sold everything we had. ...