KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Protests broke out in India and Malaysia today as consumers reacted angrily to sharp fuel price hikes that could undermine governments in both countries.

With global oil prices soaring, authorities in the two countries said a day earlier they were slashing fuel subsidies that were draining government coffers.

In Malaysia, gasoline pump prices jumped 41 percent overnight and diesel prices surged a stunning 67 percent.

The most pronounced protests were in India's West Bengal state, where schools and businesses were closed and flights and trains canceled. Shops were also shuttered and roads emptied in the southern state of Kerala, with protests also reported in the central city of Indore.

India's communist parties, which control both Kerala and West Bengal, have called for a week of protests across the country, saying import duties on oil should be further cut instead of raising retail prices.

Indonesia, Taiwan and Sri Lanka have also recently raised fuel prices.

In Malaysia — which had some of Southeast Asia's lowest gasoline prices — gasoline jumped from the equivalent of $2.32 a gallon to $3.31 a gallon.

In India, gasoline was raised 5 rupees per liter. In New Delhi, that lifted the pump prices to 50 rupees a liter, or $4.56 a gallon.

Fuel prices vary between states, which also impose their own taxes.

The fuel price hike is expected to send prices of food, transportation and other essentials higher across the board.