Indonesia: A football stampede results in 174 deaths

• After the home team Arema FC fell to fierce rivals at the crowded stadium late on Saturday in Malang, East Java, some 180 other people were harmed in the crash.
• After police used tear gas to disperse fans who had entered the pitch, there was a stampede.
• All games in Indonesia’s premier league must be postponed until an inquiry is completed, per a directive from President Joko Widodo.

One of the greatest stadium tragedies in history occurred at an Indonesian football game, where a stampede claimed at least 174 lives.

After the home team Arema FC fell to fierce rivals at the crowded stadium late on Saturday in Malang, East Java, some 180 other people were harmed in the crash.

After police used tear gas to disperse fans who had entered the pitch, there was a stampede. Thousands rushed towards the exits of Kanjuruhan stadium as panic ensued; several of them suffocated.

The Indonesian Kompas website quotes Dwi as saying that he “saw several individuals were trampled” in the haste to flee.

The death toll was initially reported at around 130, but officials later confirmed a huge increase that brought the total to 174, with 11 more individuals suffering critical injuries.

All games in Indonesia’s premier league must be postponed until an inquiry is completed, per a directive from President Joko Widodo.

According to Fifa, which oversees football worldwide, neither stewards nor police officers at games should possess nor employ “crowd control gas.”

After the final whistle signaled the home team’s 2-3 loss, fans can be seen surging onto the field in videos from the stadium, and police are shown responding by shooting tear gas at the crowd.

“It had become chaotic. They began assaulting police officers, causing damage to automobiles, “East Java’s police chief, Nico Afinta, added that two police officers were among the fatalities.

“We want to make it clear that not all of them practiced anarchism. Fewer than 3,000 people entered the pitch, “said he.

Running fans “went to a specific location at the exit. Then there was a buildup, and when that happened, there was oxygen deprivation and shortness of breath “The officer continued.

Social media videos depict supporters scaling barriers to get away. Videos from many sources seem to depict motionless victims on the ground.

The act, according to the Indonesian football organization (PSSI), has “tarnished the face of Indonesian football,” and an investigation has been opened.

In Indonesia, there has always been violence at football games between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya.

Due to concerns about altercations, Persebaya Surabaya supporters were not permitted to purchase tickets for the game.

Mahfud MD, the chief security minister, announced on Instagram that 42,000 of the match’s 38,000 allotted tickets had already been sold.

After directing that all Liga 1 matches be suspended while an investigation is conducted, President Widodo urged that this be the “final soccer tragedy in the nation.”

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