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| Indonesian police with a damaged vehicle on the pitch of the Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, East Java, after clashes between rival teams’ supporters. Photograph: Yudha Prabowo/AP |
According to the deputy governor of east Java, following a football game in the Indonesian league, there were at least 174 fatalities and hundreds more injuries.
After Arema’s 3-2 loss to Persebaya Surabaya in the match at Malang Regency, East Java, fans of the two old rival Javanese teams fought.
According to East Java’s police chief, Nico Afinta, the losing team’s fans entered the field, and when the authorities shot tear gas, it caused a crush and incidents of suffocation.
According to him, 34 people passed away at the Kanjuruhan stadium, the rest in hospitals, and hundreds were hurt. Among the deceased were two police officers.
When they raced to one exit, several individuals were crushed and suffocated, according to Afinta.
They exited through one point at the exit before building up, which caused shortness of breath and an oxygen shortage.
Later, a police spokeswoman said that 129 people had died in one of the deadliest athletic stadium accidents ever. One fatality was five years old, a hospital director said to local television.
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| Police and soldiers on the stadium’s pitch after teargas was fired. Photograph: Yudha Prabowo/AP |
Mahfud MD, Indonesia’s national security minister, said that more people attended than the Kanjuruhan stadium could hold.
He claimed that 42,000 tickets had been given for a stadium that could house 38,000 people in an Instagram post on Sunday.
Wiyanto Wijoyo, the director of the health office for the Malang Regency, had earlier stated that the number of injuries was still being tallied.
After tear gas was launched, police and military were on the field of the stadium.
After tear gas was launched, police and military were on the playing field of the stadium. Image credit: Yudha Prabowo/AP
According to Wiyanto, the victims “died of panic, congestion, trampling, and suffocation,” while the injured were sent to several neighborhood hospitals.
According to reports, fighting broke out as hundreds of Arema supporters flooded the field. Players from Persebaya fled it right away, while some Arema players who were remaining on the pitch were also attacked.
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| A group of people carry a man in the stadium during the melee. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images |
Out of a throng of 40,000, up to 3,000 people, according to local sources, entered the field. According to the authorities, 10 police cars were among the 13 damaged vehicles.
Huge volumes of tear gas were visible in pictures taken from within the stadium, and individuals could be seen scaling railings. Through the mayhem, people were transporting injured bystanders.
Social media users posted videos of individuals cursing at riot shield-wielding police officers.
On Sunday morning, the streets around the stadium were strewn with burned-out vehicles, including a police van.
The Indonesian government expressed regret for the catastrophe and pledged to look into its causes.
We apologize for this situation. At a time when fans may watch football matches from the stadium, this regrettable act “injures” Indonesian sports and youth minister Zainudin Amali said broadcaster Kompas.
“We will carefully assess how the match was organized and how many fans showed up. Will we go back to forbidding fans from attending games? What we will talk about is that.
In Indonesia, where intense rivalries have in the past resulted in lethal clashes, fan violence is a persistent issue.
Because of the history of hostility between Persebaya Surabaya and Arema FC, Persebaya Surabaya supporters were prohibited from purchasing tickets to the game.
The match should have been held in the afternoon rather than the evening, according to Mahfud MD, who claimed that the organizers disregarded this advice.
He said on Instagram that “this sport frequently incites fans to express feelings in an unexpected way.”
Due to the disturbance, the Indonesian league has been halted for a week.
The president and director of PT Liga Indonesia Baru, Akhmad Hadian Lukita, expressed his worry and sadness for the situation. “We offer our sympathies, and we hope that everyone will learn something from this.”
The Indonesian Football Federation (PSSI) announced that it will look into what transpired.
