Major accident in Indonesia: 174 killed in stampede
Malang. Malang. 175 people were killed and more than a hundred were injured in a stampede after a football match in Indonesia on Saturday night. This accident is one of the biggest accidents in any sporting event in the world. Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed deep grief over the accident in a televised speech on Sunday.
In fact, to quell the post-match brawl, police fired tear gas shells, which led to a stampede among fans and most people died due to crushing.
Clashes broke out between fans after hosts Arema FC lost to Surabaya’s Persebaya team 3-2 in a football match held in Malang city of East Java province on Saturday evening. Witnesses said thousands of Arema’s supporters, frustrated by their team’s defeat, threw bottles and other items at players and football officials. Fans on the grounds of Kanjuruhan Stadium
Malang. 175 people were killed and more than a hundred were injured in a stampede after a football match in Indonesia on Saturday night. This accident is one of the biggest accidents in any sporting event in the world. Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed deep grief over the accident in a televised speech on Sunday.
In fact, to quell the post-match brawl, police fired tear gas shells, which led to a stampede among fans and most people died due to crushing.
Clashes broke out between fans after hosts Arema FC lost to Surabaya’s Persebaya team 3-2 in a football match held in Malang city of East Java province on Saturday evening. Witnesses said thousands of Arema’s supporters, frustrated by their team’s defeat, threw bottles and other items at players and football officials. Fans flocked to the grounds of the Kanjuruhan Stadium and asked the Arema management how the team lost the match after being unbeaten for 23 years at home.
Violence broke out outside the stadium as well and at least five police vehicles were torched. The anti-riot police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, leading to a stampede. FIFA has banned the firing of tear gas shells in football stadiums.
Hundreds of people ran to the evacuation gate to escape the tear gas, causing some to die of suffocation and crushing. In this state of chaos, 34 people including two officers died in the stadium itself. Children are also among the dead.
“We also took precautionary measures before firing tear gas when fans attacked police,” East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta told a news conference on Sunday morning. Fans were burning vehicles.
Afinta said that more than 300 people were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, but many died on the way and many died during treatment. He said that the condition of many of the 180 injured hospitalized was deteriorating, so the death toll could rise.
Indonesia’s football association PSSI has postponed the Premier Football League Liga-1 indefinitely in view of this accident. It has also banned Arema from hosting football matches for the rest of the season.
News on television showed police and rescue workers carrying the injured and the dead in ambulances. Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed deep grief over the accident in a televised speech on Sunday. Widodo has ordered Youth and Sports Minister Zainuddin Amali, National Police Chief and PSSI President to conduct a detailed assessment of football matches in the country and its security procedures. He has also ordered PSSI to temporarily suspend Liga 1.
The 2023 Under-20 Football World Cup is to be held in Indonesia from 20 May to 11 June and 24 teams are participating in it. Indonesia has qualified for this World Cup as the host country. “Unfortunately, this incident has definitely damaged the image of our football fan country,” Amalie said.
Malang’s local police chief Ferli Hidayat said around 42,000 spectators were present at the stadium during the match on Saturday. He stated that they were all Arema supporters, as the organizers had banned Persebaya fans from entering the stadium to avoid controversy.
