Sri Lankan authorities are imposing intermittent power outages across the island nation as a deepening financial crisis leads to fuel shortages and disrupts the power grid, AP reported.

The public utilities commission of Sri Lanka said it would cut off the country's electricity grid for two hours on Tuesday, following a similar shutdown the previous day. Electricity will be switched off alternately in different regions from 16:30 to 22:30, officials said.

The depletion of gold and foreign exchange reserves has caused the most severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka in decades. The currency crisis is hindering the import of fuel and other necessities from abroad, including milk powder, cooking gas and gasoline.

The pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to Sri Lanka's economy, which relies heavily on tourism and trade. The government estimates that over the past two years, the losses amounted to $14 billion.