MULANG: At least 174 people were killed at football match in Indonesia after fans stormed the field and police used tear gas to disperse them, sparking a stampede.
Arima FC supporters stormed the pitch late on Saturday at Kanjurohan Stadium in the eastern city of Malang as their side lost 3-2 to Persiba Surabaya, their first loss to their bitter rivals in more than two decades. Is.
Police, who described the unrest as “riots”, tried to persuade fans to return to the stands and fired tear gas after two officials were killed.
According to police, many of the victims were trampled to death.
“174 people died in the incident, including two police officers. Thirty-four died inside the stadium and the rest died in hospital,” East Java police chief Niko Afanta said in a statement on Sunday.
Many were crushed and suffocated as they ran for an exit, Afanta said.
Photos taken from inside the stadium during the stampede showed large amounts of tear gas and people climbing over fences.
People were carrying injured spectators through the chaos.
Burnt vehicles, including a police truck, littered the streets outside the stadium on Sunday morning.
The Indonesian government apologized for the incident and promised to investigate the circumstances surrounding the stampede.
Indonesia’s Minister of Sports and Youth, Zeinuddin Amali, told broadcaster Compass, “We are sorry for this incident… It is a sad incident that has ‘hurt’ our football at a time when supporters from stadiums can watch the football match”.
“We will thoroughly review the organization of the match and the attendance of supporters. Do we go back to banning supporters from attending matches? That is what we will discuss.”
The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) suspended football matches for a week, banned Arima FC from hosting home games for the rest of the season and said it would send an investigative team to Malang to investigate. The cause of the crush can be ascertained.
PSSI Chairman Mochamad Iriawan said, “We regret and apologize to the affected families and all parties involved in this incident.”
Fan violence is a problem in Indonesia, where deep rivalries have erupted into deadly clashes.
Some matches — the biggest being the Old Indonesia derby between Perseja Jakarta and Persib Bandung — are so heated that players from the top teams travel to away games under heavy security.
