Malang, Oct. 2 (BNA) At least 129 people were killed and about 180 injured in a soccer match in Indonesia as panicked fans were run over and crushed while trying to flee a riot, in what appeared to be the worst, authorities said on Sunday. The stadium disaster in half a century.
Nico Aventa, East Java Police Chief, said that when fans of the home team stormed the stadium in East Java province on Saturday evening to express their frustration, officers fired tear gas in an attempt to control the situation, which led to a stampede and suffocation cases.
“It got chaotic. They started attacking the officers, and they damaged cars,” Niko said, adding that the stampede occurred as fans fled to the exit gate.
Video footage from local news channels showed fans streaming onto the pitch at Malang Stadium after Arima’s 3-2 loss to Persibaya Surabaya. Brawls can be seen with what appeared to be tear gas in the air, according to Reuters.
The photos showed people who appeared to have passed out and were carried away by other fans.
The head of a hospital in the area treating patients told Metro TV that some of the victims had brain injuries and that the dead included a five-year-old child.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities should make a comprehensive assessment of security at matches, adding that he hopes this will be “the last football tragedy in the country”.
Jokowi, as the president is known, has ordered the Indonesian Football Association to suspend all matches in the Indonesian Super League BRI Liga 1 until the completion of the investigation.
FIFA, the world soccer governing body, specifies in its safety regulations that no firearms or “crowd control gas” should be carried or used by referees or police.
East Java police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they were aware of the regulations.
The commissioner of the Indonesian Human Rights Commission told Reuters that the Commission on Human Rights in Indonesia intends to investigate the security situation on the ground, including the use of tear gas.
The country’s security chief, Mahfouz MD, said in an Instagram post that the stadium had filled beyond its capacity. He said that 42,000 tickets were issued for a stadium that is supposed to accommodate only 38,000 people.
East Java Governor Khufa Indar Parwansa told reporters that financial aid will be provided to the injured and the families of the victims.
There have been matches in Indonesia before, with strong rivalries between clubs sometimes leading to violence between fans.
The Indonesian soccer scene has been marred by riots and mismanagement, which has largely prevented the country of 275 million people who pack stadiums from tapping into its potential in the sport.
Zinedine Amali, Indonesia’s sports minister, told KompasTV that the ministry would re-evaluate safety at football matches, including looking into not allowing spectators in stadiums.
Saturday’s stadium disaster appeared to be the deadliest since 328 people were reported killed in rioting and crushing when Peru hosted Argentina’s Estadio Nacional in 1964.
In the infamous British disaster of 1989, 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death when a crowded, fenced-in venue at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield collapsed.
Indonesia is scheduled to host the FIFA U-20 World Cup in May and June next year. It is also one of three countries to bid to host the Asian Cup next year, which is the European equivalent of the euro, after China withdrew from hosting the tournament.
AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement that he was “deeply shocked and saddened to hear such tragic news coming from football-loving Indonesia,” expressing his condolences to the victims, their families and friends.
HF