At least 174 football fans were killed in a stampede after a riot broke out at a football game in Indonesia.
It was earlier reported that at least 129 football supporters died in Indonesia after violence broke out following Arema FC’s league clash against Persebaya Surabaya. But the number of deads are reportedly around 174.
The disaster started when supporters from the losing side raided the stadium following the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya in Indonesian top league BRI Liga 1 that took place on Saturday, October 1st, at Kanjuruhan Stadium, which resulted in panic and cases of several fans being suffocated.
Several media outlets reported the surge of fans who died on the pitch at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang on Saturday after the losing team’s supporters invaded the stadium at the end of the match.
It was reported that many football fans who were badly injured were rushed to the local Kanjuruhan Hospital and Wava Husada Hospital while the horrible incident took the lives of at least 129 supporters.
According to the East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta, he said that about 180 fans were badly injured, and many of them are in a deteriorating situation, including two police officers who later died in the incident.
The winning team, Persebaya Surabaya defeated Arema FC 3-2 which provoked thousands of supporters of Arema FC to gush into the field from the stands.
Several regional police and units of the Indonesian National Armed Forces swiftly moved out of the stadium with players of Persebaya and escorted them off the premises successfully.
While the escort was ongoing, it was reported that violence then broke out between the security operatives and football fans who had rushed to the pitch, with harmful objects being thrown before the local police then began to use their tear gas.
The fans’ invasion and tear gas response from the police resulted in mass anxiety among the football fans, and many of them strived to evade the gas but several fans fell to the ground in their attempt and were inadvertently trampled on by others as most of them tried to make their way out of the stadium.
Meanwhile, many football supporters suffered shortness of breath after they inhaled the tear gas, while several others couldn’t move further as they have lost consciousness on the football pitch.
Sky sport also reported that the tear gas did not clear from the football pitch after it had been used by the security operative and players from Arema FC who were still on the pitch assisted in carrying unconscious fans away from the pitch.
After the incident, general chair Mochamad Iriawan told Daily Star that “PSSI regrets the actions of Aremania supporters at the Kanjuruhan Stadium. We are sorry and apologize to the families of the victims and all parties for the incident. For that PSSI immediately formed an investigation team and immediately left for Malang.”
The president of PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB), Akhmad Hadian Lukita said: “We are concerned and deeply regret this incident. We share our condolences and hopefully, this will be a valuable lesson for all of us.”
Persebaya’s official Twitter account posted on Saturday evening to express their condolences to the victims of the invasion. The tweet read: “Persebaya’s extended family deeply mourns the loss of life after the Arema FC vs Persebaya match. No single life is worth football. We pray for the victims and may the families left behind be given strength.”
All remaining BRI Liga 1 matches that have been scheduled to hold this week have been suspended following the horror, while the Indonesian Football Association has confirmed that Arema FC will not host any more matches for the rest of the season.
Watch Video showing how football fans were killed in Indonesia Below:
Over 100 People Died After a Riot Broke Out at an Indonesia Soccer Game pic.twitter.com/qeLpH7zvGF
— No Jumper (@nojumper) October 2, 2022
At least 129 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured during a riot and stampede at a football stadium in Indonesia. pic.twitter.com/hbpx2ggYzA
— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) October 2, 2022
