INDONESIA: At least 125 people died in a soccer stampede in Indonesia over the weekend, including 17 children, according to officials, as pressure mounts on the Southeast Asian country to explain what happened in one of the deadliest stadium catastrophes ever.
Although violence and hooliganism have long been a part of Indonesian football, particularly in cities like the capital Jakarta, Saturday’s tragedy in a small Javan village has brought attention to the issue.
Endah Wahyuni, the older sister of two boys, Ahmad Cahyo, 15, and Muhammad Farel, 14, who died after getting trapped in the melee, stated, “My family and I didn’t think it would turn out like this.”
At the funeral for her brothers on Sunday, she continued, “They loved soccer but never watched Arema live at Kanjuruhan Stadium; this was their first time.”
Mahfud MD, Indonesia’s senior security minister, announced on Monday that the country would create an impartial fact-finding committee, composed of academics, soccer experts, and government representatives, to look into what transpired.
“To determine who caused the catastrophe, the team will continue its investigation over the next few weeks,” he said.
On Monday, the front page of the Indonesian newspaper Koran Tempo had the words “Our Football Tragedy” in red in the centre of a dark background, along with a list of the deceased.
According to Nahar, a representative of the ministry for the empowerment of women, seventeen children were among the deceased, and seven more were receiving medical attention.
The deadly crash on Saturday occurred when terrified spectators rushed to flee the jam-packed stadium after police used tear gas to scatter supporters of the losing home team who ran onto the field at the conclusion of the game.
Gilang Widya Pramana, the president of Arema FC, apologised to the stampede victims on Monday and accepted full responsibility for the tragedy.
He said at a news conference that “lives are more precious than soccer.”
Pope Francis stated in a sermon on Sunday that he had prayed for those who had perished in the accident and for those who had been hurt.
To look into one of the deadliest stadium disasters in history, police and sports officials were dispatched to Malang.
Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, a New York-based organization, stated on Monday that “all those responsible should be held accountable for this disaster, regardless of their status or position.”
Also Read: Indonesian Football Stampede Kills More Than 120 People
