INDONESIA: According to officials, one of the deadliest stadium tragedies in history occurred at an Indonesian football game, where a stampede claimed at least 129 lives.
After police used tear gas to disperse unruly supporters, there was a stampede.
Following Arema FC’s defeat to fierce rivals Persebaya Surabaya in East Java, a stampede injured over 180 people.
The number of spectators exceeded the stadium’s capacity by 4,000, according to the nation’s top security officials.
The Premier League in Indonesia must suspend all games until an inquiry is complete, per an order from President Joko Widodo.
After the final whistle, fans can be seen in videos rushing onto the field.
According to Nico Afinta, the East Java police chief, authorities shot tear gas into the crowd, causing a stampede and some incidents of asphyxia.
“It had become chaotic. They began assaulting police officers, causing damage to automobiles. Two police officers were among the dead,” he added.
Running fans “went to a specific location at the exit. Then there was a buildup, and when that happened, there was oxygen deprivation and shortness of breath,” he continued.
Social media videos depict supporters scaling barriers to get away. Videos from many sources seem to depict motionless victims on the ground.
According to FIFA, neither match officials nor law enforcement personnel should possess nor employ “crowd control gas.”
The act, according to the Indonesian football organisation (PSSI), has “tarnished the face of Indonesian football,” and an investigation has been opened.
Earlier, Persebaya Surabaya fans were banned from buying tickets for the game because of fears of clashes.
The Kanjuruhan stadium only has a 38,000 capacity, but Chief Security Minister Mahfud MD said on Instagram that 42,000 tickets had been sold for the game.
After directing that all Liga 1 matches be suspended while an investigation is conducted, President Widodo urged that this be the “final soccer tragedy in the nation.”
The stampede is the latest in a long line of disasters at stadiums.
At a Peru-Argentina Olympic qualifying match in Lima in 1964, a stampede resulted in 320 fatalities and more than 1,000 injuries.
At Sheffield’s Hillsborough Stadium in 1989, 97 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death.
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