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Authorities said on Sunday that at least 129 people were killed and 180 were injured at a soccer match in Indonesia as panicked fans were trampled and crushed while fleeing a riot, in what appeared to be the worst stadium disaster in half a century.
Officers fired tear gas in an attempt to control the situation when supporters of the losing home team invaded the pitch in East Java province on Saturday night, causing a stampede and cases of suffocation, according to East Java police chief Nico Afinta.
“It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars,” Nico said, adding that the crush occurred when fans fled for an exit gate.
Following Arema FC’s 3-2 loss to Persebaya Surabaya, video footage from local news channels showed fans streaming onto the pitch in Malang’s stadium. There are scuffles and what appears to be tear gas in the air.
Images showed people who appeared to have passed out being carried away by fellow fans.
According to the head of one of the hospitals treating patients in the area, some of the victims suffered brain injuries, and among the dead was a five-year-old child.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities must thoroughly evaluate match security, adding that he hoped this would be “the nation’s last soccer tragedy.”
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