Malang, Oct 3 (BNA) Seventeen children were among at least 125 people killed in a soccer stampede in Indonesia at the weekend, officials said, amid mounting pressure on the Southeast Asian country to explain how one of the world’s worst stadium disasters unfolded. .
Violence and hooliganism have long been a feature of Indonesian football, especially in places like the capital Jakarta, but Saturday’s disaster in a small town in Java shed light on the problem.
“My family and I didn’t think it would end like this,” said Indah and Wahyani, the older sister of two sons, Ahmad Kahyo, 15, and Muhammed Farel, 14, who died after they were caught in the fray. Reuters.
“They loved football, but they didn’t see Arima live at Kanjuruhan Stadium, it was their first time,” she added at her siblings’ funeral on Sunday, referring to the team they supported.
Indonesia’s security chief Mahfouz MD said Monday that the government will set up an independent fact-finding team that includes academics, football experts and government officials to investigate what happened.
He said the team will investigate in the next few weeks with a view to determining who is responsible for the tragedy.
Indonesia’s daily Koran Tembo published a black front page on Monday, centered on the phrase “Our Football Tragedy” printed in red with a list of the dead.
Among the dead were 17 children, while seven others are being treated in hospital, said Nahar, an official at the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment.
Saturday’s fatal collision came as panicked spectators tried to flee the packed stadium after police fired tear gas to disperse fans from the losing home side who ran onto the pitch at the end of the match.
Host team Arima lost the match 3-2 to Persibaya Surabaya, although authorities said tickets were not issued to Persibaya fans due to security concerns.
On Sunday, Mahfouz said the stadium was filled to more than capacity. He said that about 42,000 tickets had been issued for a stadium designed to accommodate 38,000 spectators.
FIFA, which asked the Indonesian football authorities to submit a report on the incident, said the incident was a “dark day for all concerned”.
Its safety regulations state that firearms or “crowd control gases” are not to be used in matches.
Arima club president Gelang Widia Pramana on Monday apologized in tears to the stampede victims and said he bears full responsibility for the disaster.
“Lives are more valuable than football,” he told a news conference.
Pope Francis said in a speech on Sunday that he prayed for those who lost their lives and for those affected by the disaster.
Police and sports officials have been sent to Malang to investigate an incident that is among the deadliest stadium disasters in the world.
“All those responsible for this disaster, regardless of their status or position, must be held accountable,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia division of New York-based Human Rights Watch, said on Monday.
HF