A soccer game in Indonesia turned deadly Saturday night as security personnel clashed with soccer fans, prompting a stampede and leaving 125 dead and dozens of others injured, officials and eyewitnesses said.
An earlier version of this story attributed a death toll of 182 to a tweet from Arema FC. The account does not officially represent the team and the story has been corrected. MEDAN, Indonesia — A soccer game in Indonesia turned deadly Saturday night as security personnel clashed with soccer fans, prompting a stampede and leaving 125 dead and dozens of others injured, officials and eyewitnesses said.
Fans charged toward the center of the field after Arema FC, the home team, lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya, a team that it had beat for 23 years — and were beat back by uniformed officers carrying batons and riot shields. Four people who were at the match told The Washington Post that uniformed security personnel then fired what appeared to be tear gas directly and indiscriminately into the crowd, sending people into a panic. As many as 42,000 people were estimated to be at the event. Plumes of smoke covered the stands at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang regency, as tens of thousands of people scrambled for the exit doors, trampling — and killing — others who fell. Families were separated amid the chaos and some never reunited.“I can still hear the voices of children calling for their mothers,” said Bima Andhika, 25, who escaped the stampede with his 14-year-old sister. His uncle and three of his neighbors are among the dead, he said. East Java’s deputy governor Emil Dardak said Sunday afternoon that 174 people had died but revised this number to 125 when speaking to reporters later that day. Some casualties had been counted twice, he told broadcaster Metro TV. Health officials at Malang regency, which is two hours from Surabaya, said the death count has fluctuated because officials are still in the process of verifying the identities of those who died. East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta said those killed suffered breathing problems and suffocated as they tried to exit the stadium. At least two officers were among the dead, he added. About 34 people died at the scene, Afinta said, and many others died at local hospitals.“I express my deepest condolences of this tragedy that claimed lives in Kanjuruhan, Malang, last night,” President Joko Widodo said in a statement, adding that he has ordered the Football Association of Indonesia to suspend all matches until security measures can be evaluated. Arema FC, the home team, has been barred from hosting games for the rest of the season.
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