Chaos in Venezuela. Citizens form endless lines in front of shops in order to procure the most basic of goods. Lack of basic necessities caused panic, resulting in thousands running to buy everything they can.

Huge queues formed outside groceries in Caracas, the country’s capital, on Friday, since residents searched for basic items such as detergents and chicken.

President Nicolás Maduro, in order to prevent looting in shops and any potential incidents, assigned military to the shops, for protection.

“I have visited six stores searching for detergents. I cannot find any, anywhere”, stated a 27 year old janitor to Bloomberg, while waiting in a line outside a super market in eastern Caracas. “We need to wear our dirty clothes over and over again because we cannot find any cleaning products. I’ll buy what I can find”, she added.

The shortage of foreign currency in Venezuela worsened by the collapse of oil prices and led to import shortages of items ranging from toilet paper, to car abtteries.

“Do not despair. We have products for everyone and an adequacy to cover every need. Our stores are full”, said Maduro, on national television.