Asia-Pacific

129 dead after fans stampede to exit Indonesian soccer match

AP Photo/Yudha Prabowo
Soccer fans enter the pitch during a clash between supporters at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, Indonesia, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022.

10:12 JST, October 2, 2022

MALANG, Indonesia (AP) — Panic at an Indonesian soccer match after police fired tear gas to stop brawls left 129 dead, mostly trampled to death, police said Sunday.

Several fights between supporters of the two rival soccer teams were reported inside the Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java province’s Malang city after the Indonesian Premier League game ended with Persebaya Surabaya beating Arema Malang 3-2.

The brawls that broke out just after the game ended late night Saturday prompted riot police to fire tear gas, which caused panic among supporters, said East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta.

Hundreds of people ran to an exit gate in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated in the chaos and others were trampled, killing 34 almost instantly.

More than 300 were rushed to nearby hospitals to treat injuries but many died on the way and during a treatment, Afinta said.

He said the death toll is likely still increasing, since many of about 180 injured victims’ conditions were deteriorating.