Gas shortages at the pumps have spread from the South, all but emptying stations in Washington, D.C., following a ransomware cyberattack that forced a shutdown of the nation’s largest gasoline pipeline. Though the pipeline operator paid a ransom, restoring service was taking time, AP reported.
Colonial Pipeline had warned in advance that it would take several days for the network's resources to return to normal condition and the fuel chain to recover.
Eighty-six percent of gas stations in Washington, more than half of all gas stations in Virginia, and 42 percent of Maryland stations are unable to supply fuel, statistics showed on Friday.
In addition, more than 70 percent of gas stations in North Carolina and more than half of those centers in Georgia and South Carolina are facing a gas shortage crisis.
Top US fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline was forced to temporarily shut down its pipeline after being targeted by a cyber-attack last Friday.
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