At least 125 people are dead and more than 100 other people are injured after a crowd stampede during a riot broke out at a soccer match in Indonesia, police said on Sunday.
The match between home team Arema FC and its rival, Persebaya Surabaya, was held at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Indonesia’s East Java province on Saturday night. Arema FC was defeated 2–3.
After the match ended, multiple people among the audience invaded the pitch. Fights broke out between the supporters of the two rival soccer teams. Riot police then fired tear gas, which triggered panic, resulting in a stampede, East Java police chief Nico Afinta told reporters.
More than 300 were rushed to nearby hospitals to treat injuries but many died on the way and during a treatment, Afinta said.
National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the death toll had been revised to 125 from 174, after authorities found some of the victims were counted twice. More than 100 were receiving intensive treatment in eight hospitals, 11 of them in critical condition.
Video footage from local news channels showed people rushing onto the pitch in the stadium in Malang and images of body bags.
On social media, footage of the stampede showed people running toward and onto the stadium before scattering quickly as police enter the stadium, chasing after them while holding batons. The footage also showed smoke appearing suddenly on the soccer field, prompting people to scatter.
Hundreds of people ran to an exit gate in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated in the chaos and others were trampled, killing 34 almost instantly.
Zainudin Amali, Indonesia’s sports minister, told KompasTV the ministry would reevaluate safety at football matches, including considering not allowing spectators in stadiums.
Indonesia is to host the FIFA under-20 World Cup in May and June in 2023.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
