At least 125 are dead, and over 320 were injured at a soccer match in Indonesia in one of the worst stadium disasters ever.
Fans packed into an overcrowded Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang regency, East Jave, to watch a contest between the Javanese host club Arema FC and bitter rival Persebaya Surabaya. After the match, won by Persebaya Surabaya, an estimated 3,000 Arema supporters stormed the pitch prompting security officials to fire tear gas, starting a massive stampede towards a single gate, causing fans to be crushed, trampled, or even suffocated.
“They went out to one point at the exit, and then there was a buildup – in the process of accumulation, there was shortness of breath, lack of oxygen, said East Java’s police chief, Nico Afinta. “The most terrible thing was when victims came to be treated by the team doctor,” said Arema coach Javier Roca. “About 20 people arrived, and four died. Fans died in the arms of players.
Social media footage shows fans trying to scale fences to avoid the stampede. Other clips show fans trying to carry the injured to safety with lifeless bodies scattered around the field. Fences in the vicinity of the charge bowed outwards, demonstrating the incredible force exuded by the crowd. A hole smashed through the wall near one gate, illustrating the desperation felt by many in the group,
Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, told authorities to thoroughly re-evaluate security at football matches and ordered the suspension of Liga 1 matches. Saturday’s events should be the “last soccer tragedy in the nation,” he said.
FIFA stadium safety guidance states that “crowd control gas” should not be carried or used by stewards or police around the perimeter of the field of play. A witness to the tragedy, Muhamad Dipo Maulana, 21, told BBC Indonesian that after the game had ended, a few Arema fans went on the pitch to remonstrate with the home team players but were intercepted by police and “beaten.” Reacting to how those fans were treated, more fans began to fill the pitch in protest. “Police with dogs, shields, and soldiers came forward,” Maulana told the BBC.
He said he had heard more than 20 tear gas shots toward spectators at the stadium.
The Indonesian government apologized for the disaster and promised to investigate its circumstances. “We’re sorry for this incident … this is a regrettable incident that ‘injures’ our football at a time when supporters can watch football matches from the stadium,” the Indonesian sports and youth minister, Zainudin Amali, told broadcaster Kompas.
“We will thoroughly evaluate the organization of the match and the attendance of supporters. Will we return to banning supporters from attending the matches? That is what we will discuss.”
One local hospital reported that one of the deceased was a five-year-old child.
