Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that At least 129 people are dead and 180 more injured, police say, after chaos and violence erupted late on Saturday following an Indonesian league soccer match between two of the nation’s biggest teams. (Read More Here).
Supporters of Arema FC and rival Persebaya Surabaya clashed after home team Arema FC was defeated 3-2 at a match in the city of Malang in East Java.
Supporters from the losing team had “invaded” the pitch and police fired tear gas, triggering a stampede which led to cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta said during a press conference following the event.
“First of all, a riot happened,” Nico said. “It had gotten anarchic. They (the fans) started attacking officers, they damaged cars.”
Two police officers were among the dead and 180 people were also injured, the police chief said, adding that the crush occurred when fans fled for an exit gate.
Videos filmed from inside the stadium late into the night and shared on social media showed fans, dressed in red and blue, storming the field and clashing with Indonesian security forces, who appeared to be wearing riot gear.
Video footage broadcast on local news channels also showed images of body bags, Reuters reported.
According to Nico, when Arema FC lost 2-3 in the match against Persebaya Surabaya, their supporters stormed onto the field in anger.
Speaking to CNN affiliate CNN Indonesia, Sports and Youth Minister Zainudin Amali said he has asked for a full investigation into the tragedy to “determine the parties responsible.”
“I am coordinating with the national police chief and PSSI chairman and we will go directly to the stadium pitch in Malang,” he said.
Located in East Java, the Kanjuruhan Stadium is used mostly for soccer matches and is estimated to hold up to 42,500 people.
While officials have not yet confirmed how many people were in attendance at the stadium during Saturday’s late night match, video footage and pictures taken by fans showed full stands of people.
There have been previous outbreaks of trouble at matches in Indonesia, with a strong rivalry between clubs sometimes leading to violence among supporters.
The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) has suspended matches next week as a result of the deadly tragedy, and banned Arema FC from hosting games for the rest of the season.
“PSSI regrets the actions of Aremania supporters at the Kanjuruhan Stadium,” the association’s chairman, Mochamad Iriawan, said in a statement issued on Sunday.
He added that the incident had “tarnished the face of Indonesian football” and they were supporting official investigations into the event.
“We are sorry and apologize to the families of the victims and all parties for the incident,” he said.
“For that PSSI immediately formed an investigation team and immediately left for Malang,” he added.
CNN reached out to FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, for a statement but did not immediately hear back.
Persebaya released a statement expressing their condolences, saying: “Persebaya’s big family expresses their deepest condolences for the loss of life after the Arema FC vs. Persebaya match. No life is worth football.”
“Alfatihah for the victims and may the family left behind be given fortitude.” “Thirty-four people died inside the stadium and the rest died in hospital,” said East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta.
The death toll is likely still increasing, he said, since many of about 180 injured victims’ conditions were deteriorating.
A hospital director told local television that one of the victims was five years old.
Video footage from local news channels showed fans streaming onto the pitch in the Kanjurujan Stadium in Malang after Arema FC lost to Persebaya Surabaya. Scuffles can be seen, with what appeared to be tear gas in the air. Images also showed people who appeared to have lost consciousness being carried away by other fans.
The stadium holds 42,000 people and authorities said it was a sell-out. Police said about 3,000 people had stormed the pitch. Vehicles outside the stadium were also torched, including a police truck.
The Indonesian government has apologised for the incident and promised to investigate the circumstances surrounding the stampede.
“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,” Indonesian Sports and Youth Minister Zainudin Amali told broadcaster Kompas.
The Indonesian top league, BRI Liga 1, has suspended games for a week following the match, and an investigation had been launched, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) said.
There have been previous outbreaks of trouble at matches in Indonesia, with a strong rivalry between clubs sometimes leading to violence among supporters.
Among global stadium disasters, 97 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death in Britain in April 1989, when an overcrowded and fenced-in enclosure collapsed at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.
Indonesia is to host the FIFA under-20 World Cup in May and June next year. They are also one of three countries bidding to stage next year’s Asian Cup, the continent’s equivalent of the Euros, after China pulled out as hosts.
