A stampede at a soccer stadium in Indonesia has killed at least 125 people and injured more than 320 after police sought to quell violence on the pitch, authorities said on Sunday, in one of the world’s worst stadium disasters.
Officers fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse agitated supporters of the losing home side who had invaded the pitch after the final whistle in Malang, East Java, on Saturday night, the region’s police chief Nico Afinta told reporters.
“Today the death toll is 125. 124 have been identified and one has not. Some names were recorded twice because they had been referred to another hospital and were written down again,” East Java deputy governor Emil Dardak told broadcaster Metro TV, citing data collected by local police from 10 hospitals.
The tragedy on Saturday night in the city of Malang, which also left 180 injured, was one of the world’s deadliest sporting stadium disasters.
Arema FC supporters at the Kanjuruhan stadium stormed the pitch after their team lost 3-2 to the visiting team and bitter rivals, Persebaya Surabaya.
Police, who described the unrest as “riots”, said they tried to force fans to return to the stands and fired tear gas after two officers were killed.
Many of the victims were trampled or choked to death, according to police.
At least 125 people died, East Java deputy governor Emil Dardak told broadcaster Metro TV on Sunday evening, significantly lowering officials’ earlier death toll of 174 because of double counting.
“124 have been identified and one has not. Some names were recorded twice because they had been referred to another hospital and were written down again,” he said, citing data collected by local police from 10 hospitals.
Survivors described panicking spectators in a packed crowd as tear gas rained down on them.
“Officers fired tear gas, and automatically people were rushing to come out, pushing each other and it caused many victims,” 43-year-old spectator Doni, who declined to give his last name, told AFP.
“Nothing was happening, there was no riot. I don’t know what the issue was, they suddenly fired tear gas. That’s what shocked me, didn’t they think about kids, women?”
President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation into the tragedy, a safety review into all football matches and directed the country’s football association to suspend all matches until “security improvements” were completed.
“I deeply regret this tragedy and I hope this football tragedy will be the last in our country,” Widodo said.
A hospital director told local TV that one of the victims was five years old.
Images taken from inside the stadium during the stampede showed police firing huge amounts of tear gas and people clambering over fences.
Amnesty International called for an investigation into why tear gas was deployed in a confined space.
“Tear gas should only be used to disperse crowds when widespread violence has occurred and when other methods have failed. People must be warned that tear gas will be used and allowed to disperse,” it said in a statement.
People carried injured spectators through the chaos and survivors lugged lifeless bodies out of the stadium.
“It was so terrifying, so shocking,” 22-year-old survivor Sam Gilang, who lost three friends in the crush, told AFP.
“People were pushing each other and… many were trampled on their way to the exit gate. My eyes were burning because of the tear gas. I, fortunately, managed to climb up the fence and survived,” he said.
– Enduring violence –
Video footage circulating on social media showed people shouting obscenities at police, who were holding riot shields and wielding batons.
Torched vehicles, including a police truck, littered the streets outside the stadium on Sunday morning. Police said 13 vehicles in total were damaged.
The stadium holds 42,000 people and authorities said it was a sell-out. Police said 3,000 people stormed the pitch.
Fan violence is an enduring problem in Indonesia, where deep rivalries have previously turned into deadly confrontations.
Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya are longtime rivals.
Persebaya Surabaya fans were not allowed to buy tickets for the game due to fears of violence.
However, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Mahfud MD, said organisers ignored the recommendation of authorities to hold the match in the afternoon instead of the evening.
And he said the government had recommended only 38,000 tickets be printed, but there was instead a sell-out crowd of 42,000.
– ‘Take some measures’ –
Before Widodo’s announcement, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) apologised to victims’ families and suspended football matches of Indonesia’s top league, BRI Liga 1, for one week.
It also banned Arema FC from hosting home games for the rest of the season.
The association had communicated with FIFA about the stampede and hopes to avoid sanctions from the world football governing body, PSSI secretary general Yunus Yussi told a press conference.
On why police used tear gas inside the stadium, he said they “had to take some measures to anticipate” spectators entering the pitch.
The Asian Football Confederation, the governing body for football in the region, expressed its regret at the loss of lives in the disaster.
Indonesia is to host the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in May at six stadiums across the country. The Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang is not included in that list.
It is also bidding to replace China as host of the 2023 Asian Cup alongside South Korea and Qatar, with a decision due later this month.
Other stadium disasters include a 1989 crush in the stands at Britain’s Hillsborough Stadium, which led to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans, and the 2012 Port Said stadium tragedy in Egypt where 74 people died in clashes.
In 1964, 320 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured during a stampede at a Peru-Argentina Olympic qualifier at Lima’s National Stadium.
Worst stadium disasters in history
- Bradford City Stadium Fire
The 10th worst stadium disaster of all time occurred in Bradford, West Yorkshire in England 31 years ago.
On May 11, 1985, 40 minutes into a match against Lincoln City, a fire was started when a cigarette a spectator was trying to put out fell below one of the stands and ignited accumulated litter below. The fire would go on to consume the entire stand.
By the time it was brought under control, 56 people had lost their lives with more than 250 spectators injured.
- Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny disaster (2013)
On March 29, 2009, there was a stampede before a World Cup qualifier between Cote d’Ivoire and Malawi at the Stade Felix Houpouet-Boigny in Abidjan leaving 19 people dead and 135 others with injuries. The police were believed to have made matters worse by firing tear gas at the crowd in a bid to keep them under control.
The match was between El Masry and Al Ahly. The result, a 3-1 victory for El Masry, was not something the Al Ahly fans would accept.
Consequently, they rioted, attacking El Masry fans with weapons ranging from swords to bottles and even fireworks. When the dust settled, 74 people were dead and over 500 injured.
In the aftermath, the Egyptian government suspended the league for two years and tried 64 people and nine police officers. Out of the number, 11 were sentenced to deaths, 26 acquitted, and 36 handed jail terms.
- The Estadio Mateo Flores disaster
The 30,000-capacity Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala was the scene of the fight worst stadium disaster ever. On October 16, 1996 just before a World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica 83 people lost their lives with 140 others sustaining injuries following a push by thousands of football fans to access the stadium.
According to reports more than 50,000 people, way more than the official capacity, were trying to gain entry into the stadium due to the sale of counterfeit tickets.
Many of those who lost their lives suffocated as a result of the massive crowd and poor design of the stadium.
- The Kathmandu disaster
On March 12, 1988, 93 football fans died in an attempt to escape from a hail storm in the Dasarath Rangasala Stadium. Up to 100 fans were injured in the incident, which occurred during the 1988 Tribhuvan Challenge Shield football match between Janakpur Cigarette Factory Limited and Liberation Army of Bangladesh.
The fans had tried to rush out of the stadium to avoid the hail storm only to find the exits locked, resulting in those in front being crushed.
- The Hillsborough disaster
Twenty-seven years after it occurred, the Hillsborough disaster has remained in the news. Unlike other disasters that make the news mainly on their anniversaries, they Hillsborough disaster has remained controversial with families of the victims battling for decades to right the wrong done to their loved ones after their deaths.
- The Ohene Djan Stadium disaster
The second worst stadium disaster ever occurred on May 9, 2001 at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Ghana. It is the worst stadium and sports disaster in Africa.
During a match between Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club and Asante Kotoko, a late goal by Accra Heart which gave them a 2-1 victory led to crowd trouble as disappointed Asante Kotoko fans threw things onto the pitch.
To restore order, the police fired tear gas into the crowd, causing panic and a stampede that left 127 people dead.
- Lima football disaster
On May 24, 1964, the world witnessed the worst stadium and sports disaster ever. On that they Peru hosted Argentina for a qualifying match for the Tokyo Olympics. A win was crucial to Peru’s hope of making the tournament but it was Argentina that scored and held onto a 1-0 lead as the last minutes of the game approached.
The decision by the referee to rule out a goal by Peru with less than 10 minutes on the clock proved tragic.
Angry Peruvians invaded the pitch, the police fired tear gas into the stands to discourage them but caused a stampede instead. Fleeing spectators ran into closed steel doors with those behind them crushing them against the metal.
A total of 328 people died that day with 500 others sustaining injuries.
AFP/Agencies report)
