A catastrophic football stampede in the Javanese city of Malang resulted in at least 174 fatalities and more than 100 injuries, according to Emil Dardak, the deputy governor of East Java, who spoke to local media on Sunday. The tragedy is the most recent in a string of tragic incidents at football stadiums.
Huge crowds attend the fierce matches between local rivals in the 18-team top-flight league, making it the most watched sport in the nation. However, the game has been marred by hooliganism, harsh policing, and poor management. The match is now one of the bloodiest moments in soccer history due to the death toll. Dozens of supporters ran onto the pitch at Arema’s home stadium, Kanjuruhan Stadium, after their 3-2 loss to Persebaya Surabaya, Arema’s first defeat to their bitter rival in more than 20 years. Images of body bags and people rushing onto the pitch in the Malang stadium were captured on camera by local news outlets.
Police deployed tear gas in response to the unrest, which spread panic, said Inspector General Nico Afinta, the head of the East Java Police, at a press conference. Following the conclusion of the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya in the East Java region, the losing team’s fans flooded the playing field while police shot tear gas, causing a stampede and cases of suffocation. To escape the tear gas, hundreds of people sprinted to one exit gate. 34 people died nearly instantaneously as a result of suffocation or being trampled.
East Java police head Nico Afinta told the media that there had been a pileup. “The accumulation process caused oxygen deprivation and shortness of breath.”
He added that numerous individuals fled to one exit and were trampled and suffocated. After two officers were killed, the police, who described the unrest as “riots,” tried to get people to return to the stands and shot tear gas.
Police claim that several of the victims were crushed to death.
East Java police commander Nico Afinta said in a statement on Sunday that “34 persons died within the stadium and the remainder perished in hospitals.” Following a fatal stampede at a game in Java, the International Football Federation (FIFA) has spoken with the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI).
FIFA had requested a report on the fatal incident that took place in the Javan city of Malang, according to PSSI Secretary General Yunus Nusi, and a PSSI team had been dispatched to the scene to investigate.
