The chaos broke out at a stadium in East Java, Indonesia after Persebaya Surabaya defeated Arema 3 – 2. Local reports suggest that thousands of Arema fans went on the pitch and several Arema players still on the pitch were attacked.
Local Police tried to quell the crisis by firing tear gas into the crowd but a stampede followed afterwards.
In one of the worst stadium disaster’s of all time, around 300 people were rushed to nearby hospitals but many died before or while receiving treatment.
East Java police chief Nico Afinta said in a news conference early on Sunday: “We have already done a preventive action before finally firing the tear gas as (fans) began to attack the police, acting anarchically and burning vehicles.”
Mahfud MD, Indonesia’s chief security officer claimed on social media that the stadium was full beyond capacity. He stated that 42,000 tickets were sold for the 38,000 capacity Kanjuruhan Stadium.
The President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo expressed his condolences in a televised broadcast.
“I deeply regret this tragedy and I hope this is the last soccer tragedy in this country. Don’t let another human tragedy like this happen in the future,” he said. “We must continue to maintain sportsmanship, humanity and a sense of brotherhood of the Indonesian nation.”
Indonesian football league has been suspended until investigation is complete.
