It’s a “classic” turned tragic. At least 127 people died in Indonesia on Saturday night as a result of a mass riot sparked by angry fans storming a soccer field after a game and by law enforcement firing tear gas, police said.
Arema FC team fans took to the pitch at Kanjuruhan Stadium in the eastern city of Malang after their team lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya. It was the first time in more than twenty years that Arema FC lost to its great rival. Police, who described the event as a “riot,” tried to convince fans to return to the stands and fired tear gas after two officers were killed. Many victims were trampled to death.
People ‘were breathless, lack of oxygen’
“Thirty-four people died at the stadium and the rest died in hospital,” said local police chief Nico Afinta. “Eventually they went to the exit. But there was an accumulation (of people) and in this process of accumulation (people) got air, lack of oxygen,” he explained.
The Indonesian government apologized for this tragedy and promised to investigate the circumstances of this mass movement. “We apologize for this incident (…) It is a regrettable incident that ‘hurts’ our football when fans can watch a game in a stadium,” Zainudin Amali, Minister of Sport and Youth, said on the Kompas channel . “Are we going to ban the presence of fans at games again? We will discuss it,” he added.