swamped

Mr Demape says he struggled to find a petrol station that was not swamped with long queues.

Opponents of Proposition 50, who have been swamped in fundraising by their rivals, seized upon the error as proof that the measure was hastily placed on the ballot.

Thousands of people queued outside polling stations on Tuesday to vote for a president, MPs and local councillors, keenly hoping to effect change in a country swamped by economic troubles.

Letters poured into Coca-Cola headquarters by the thousands, and the phone lines swamped; a psychiatrist brought in to listen reported hearing people mourn as if a relative had died.

"It has gone from being a really serious problem to being a really major crisis… People are swamped."