Jakarta: In Indonesia, at least 174 people have died and about 180 were injured in a stampede at a football match. The stampede happened after chaos and violence erupted following an Indonesian league soccer match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya in East Java on Saturday night.
In a Press Conference, Police Chief, Nico Afinta said, supporters of losing team Arema FC invaded the pitch and police fired tear gas, triggering a stampede which led to cases of suffocation. The number of spectators exceeded the stadium’s stated capacity of 38,000 by around 4,000 people.
Indonesian, Sports and Youth Minister, Zainudin Amali said he has asked for a full investigation into the tragedy to determine the parties responsible. President Joko Widodo has ordered that all matches in Indonesia’s top league must be stopped until the investigation concluded.
The incident happened as supporters of Javanese clubs Arema and Persebaya Surabaya clashed after the former lost the match in Malang Regency, East Java.
After Arema team lost the match, thousands of its supporters invaded the pitch. Police had to fire tear gas which led to a stampeded and caused suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta told reporters.
Meanwhile, Indonesias sports minister Zainudin Amali told Reuters that authorities would re-evaluate safety at football matches and consider not allowing spectators after stampede killed 127 people.
The Indonesian top league BRI Liga 1 has suspended games for a week following the match that Persebaya won 3-2 and an investigation had been launched, Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) said in a statement.
