Thousands of protesters in the Sri Lankan city of Colombo have stormed the president’s residence and taken over his administrative offices amid growing calls for him to resign.

As the country continues to struggle through its worst economic crisis since independence, a large anti-government protest calling for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down was arranged on Saturday, with people attending in their tens of thousands despite an ongoing fuel shortage making travel difficult.

Police used teargas and water cannon against the crowds in some places and shots were fired into the air. But as the crowds persisted and moved towards the president’s official residence, barricades were broken down and they stormed into the palatial property, many carrying Sri Lankan flags and shouting slogans.