By Victor Kanayo
Up to 129 persons have died after a stampede happened while fans tried to exit an Indonesian soccer match on Saturday night.
Some other reports claimed that at least 170 people died.
Eyewitness account has it that there was panic at an Indonesian soccer match after police fired tear gas to stop brawls.
Several fights between supporters of the two rival soccer teams were reported inside the Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java province’s Malang city after the Indonesian Premier League game ended with Persebaya Surabaya beating Arema Malang 3-2.
At the end of the game, fans invaded the pitch with police and stadium security unleashing tear gas in an attempt to stop them, said East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta.
Hundreds of people ran to an exit gate in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated in the chaos and others were trampled, killing 34 instantly.
It gathered that more than 300 were rushed to nearby hospitals to treat injuries, but many died on the way and during treatment.
Videos of the scene showed fans scattered across the field as loud bangs and clouds of smoke erupted in the arena.
Uniformed officers carrying riot shields were seen chasing down fans on the field and beating them with batons.
Liga 1 was suspended for at least a week following the tragedy and the Indonesian Football Federation announced that Arema FC will not play games at its stadium again for the remainder of the season.
“The Federation (PSSI) regrets the actions of the Arema fans at the Kanjuruhan Stadium. We regret what happened and apologise to the families of the victims and all those involved in the incident. We formed an investigation team that was immediately to the city,” a statement from Mochamad Iriawan, the President of the Indonesian Federation, read.
Persebaya also released a tweet to express their grief at the situation: “The great family of Persebaya expresses its deepest condolences for the loss of life after the game of Arema FC vs. Persebaya. No life is worth more than football. We pray for the victims and hope that their families have strength.”
Arema FC are yet to release any statements about what happened.
In 1964, a total of 320 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured during a stampede at a Peru-Argentina Olympic qualifier in Lima.
In 1985, 39 people died and 600 were hurt at the Heysel stadium in Brussels, Belgium, when fans were crushed against a wall that then collapsed during the European Cup final between Liverpool (England) and Juventus (Italy).
In the UK, a crash developed at the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield, resulting in the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans attending the club’s FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
