Cars line up for fuel at a gas station in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, May 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"The crisis was man-made -- first by the ransomware attack on the systems of Colonial Pipeline that led the company to shut down its pipeline connecting Texas to New Jersey, then by a panic that led drivers to fill up out of fear the country could run out of gas," says The Washington Post.

WASHINGTON, May 13  -- Fuel shortages caused by the shutdown of a major pipeline over a ransomware attack last week in the southeastern United States have been exacerbated by panic buying and hoarding, and the scenario is not expected to turn for the better soon as the pipeline was restarted Wednesday afternoon but will takes days to resume full operation.

"Long lines, sharp words and pumps gone dry greeted unhappy drivers from the Alabama foothills to the Chesapeake Bay" across the eastern half of the country, and "nervous drivers clogged gas stations and created shortages in parts or all of 11 states," reported The Washington Post on Thursday.

At least 12,000 gas stations reported being completely empty, and the squeeze pushed the price of a gallon past 3 U.S. dollars, its highest in years, it added.

The pipeline shutdown and ensuing gas search are "causing several thousand gas stations across the nation to run out of fuel. Hundreds of others are limiting sales," reported The New York Times on Thursday.

"Consumers have become gripped by a fear that there could be a gas shortage. Many have turned to social media to vent, posting videos and pictures of long lines and empty pumps at filling stations," it added.