In an effort to break up clashes between fans that led to a stampede, police in Malang, Indonesia, used tear gas on spectators at a soccer game on Saturday, killing close to 130 people.
The incident happened after a Sunday night match in the Indonesian Premier League, when disappointed fans of Arema Malang witnessed their side lose. According to accounts, Arema supporters rushed to the field after the game.
According to East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta, 34 spectators perished instantaneously from asphyxia or trampling as a result of panicked masses running towards an exit gate in Kanjuruhan Stadium to escape the tear gas.
Afinta reported, “There was a pile-up.””The buildup process resulted in shortness of breath and lack of oxygen.”
Afinta reportedly stated in The New York Times that he anticipates a spike in the death toll. Up to 300 people were taken to hospitals, but many of them passed away while route, according to Afinta.
“More than 120 people died,” Wiyanto Wijoyo, the director of the Malang Regency health office, revealed to the Guardian, “they died of chaos, overcrowding, trampling and suffocation.”
According to a press release, the event will be investigated by the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI).
94 individuals have passed away since 1994 as a result of violent incidents connected to Indonesian soccer culture, according to a 2019 investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Channel.
Insider’s request for comment was not immediately answered by PSSI representatives.
