At least 153 people have been killed in Indonesia after they invaded the pitch during a football match between two bitter rivals, Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya in East Java. Fans invaded the pitch after Arema FC lost to their arch-rivals, Persebaya Surabaya, 2-3. Some reports claim that the number of people killedcan go significantly higher. A news flash by the Associated Press news agency said that the death toll had climbed up to 174.
The stampede started after the police tear-gassed rioting supporters.
A report by the BBC said that about 180 people have sustained injuries in the stampede.
Indonesia’s chief security minister has said that the number of spectators exceeded the stadium’s capacity by around 4,000 people.
Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo has ordered a ban on Indonesia’s top league matches until the probe into the latest episode of the stampede is concluded.
Videos shared by users on social media shows the chaos inside the hospital where the injured were brought to for treatment.
#Breaking: Update – Other shocking video footages showing you the chaos inside of the hospital, after riot police cornered fans of the #football game, tear gassed them extremely and had no place to run, killing 153 people injured 300 others in #Indonesia. pic.twitter.com/fx2ndUzd4R
— Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) October 2, 2022
Nico Afinta, police chief in East Java, said that the police had to fire tear gas after the pitch invasion by fans.
He said, “It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars.”
BREAKING: Over 100 people were killed and 200 injured in a riot at a football stadium in Malang Indonesia, authorities said. #news #BreakingNews #Newsnight #NewsUpdate #NewsBreak #soccer #Indonesia #malang#AremavsPersebaya#arema #Kanjuruhan #bonekjancok #football pic.twitter.com/SXhCPfTId9
— That Guy Shane (@ProfanityNewz) October 1, 2022
Afinta said that two police officers sustained injuries. “We would like to convey that… not all of them were anarchic. Only about 3,000 who entered the pitch,” he added.
He said that fans tried to flee and ran towards the exit point, elading to the assembly of thousands of people. “Then there was a build-up, in the process of accumulation there was shortness of breath, lack of oxygen,” he said.
A report by Sky News said that some of the victims have sustained brain injuries, adding that one doctor told local media how a five-year-old was among those who had died.
The use of tear gas inside the ground after the match is against FIFA rules. According to the world football governing body, ‘crowd control gas’ can’t be carried or used by stewards or police at matches.
