NE NEWS SERVICE
MALANG (INDONESIA) OCT 2
As many as 129 people were killed and over 180 sustained injuries at a soccer match in Indonesia as panicked fans were trampled and crushed trying to flee a riot on Sunday, in what appeared to be the worst stadium disaster in half a century, according to police.
When supporters of the losing home team entered the soccer ground in East Java province on Saturday night to express their frustration, officers fired tear gas in an attempt to control the situation, triggering a stampede and cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta said. The crush occurred when fans fled for an exit gate, the official added.
Video footage from local news channels showed fans streaming onto the pitch in the stadium in Malang after Arema FC lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya. Scuffles can be seen, with what appeared to be tear gas in the air.
Images showed people who appeared to have lost consciousness being carried away by other fans.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities must thoroughly evaluate security at matches, adding that he hoped this would be “the last soccer tragedy in the nation.”
Jokowi, as the president is known, ordered the Football Association of Indonesia to suspend all games in the Indonesian top league BRI Liga 1 until an investigation had been completed, says local media.
