MALANG, Indonesia — Hundreds are dead and many more are injured following brawls and a subsequent stampede following a soccer match on Sunday between rivals in Malang in East Java.
Fights broke out between supporters from the two rival soccer teams following the conclusion of the Indonesian league match inside Kanjuruhan Stadium, according to East Java police.
Update 8:30 a.m. EDT Oct. 2: Officials in Indonesia lowered the death toll from Sunday’s postgame soccer match to 125, saying that some victims were counted twice, The Associated Press reported.
East Java Deputy Governor Emil Dardak said the number of fatalities had been revised down from 174, which had been reported earlier Sunday, according to Reuters.
Hundreds of people ran to the exits to avoid tear gas fired by police, according to the AP. In the chaos, 34 died at the stadium, including two officers, and some reports include children among the casualties.
“We have already done a preventive action before finally firing the tear gas as (fans) began to attack the police, acting anarchically and burning vehicles,” East Java police chief Nico Afinta said during a news conference.
Update 6:55 a.m. EDT Oct. 2: The death toll from Sunday’s soccer match in Indonesia rose to 174, The Associated Press and The New York Times reported. Most of the victims were trampled or suffocated after police fired tear gas at the rioting fans, who made a chaotic run for the exits.
Emil Elestianto Dardak, East Java’s vice governor, confirmed that 174 people were killed and 309 had been injured, according to the Times.
“We have already done a preventive action before finally firing the tear gas as (fans) began to attack the police, acting anarchically and burning vehicles,” East Java police chief Nico Afinta said during a news conference.
Indonesia’s soccer association, known as PSSI, suspended the premier soccer league Liga 1 indefinitely in light of the tragedy and banned Arema from hosting soccer matches for the remainder of the season.
Original report: According to CNN, fans from rival teams of Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya rioted after the home team Arema FC lost 3-2.
At least 127 people have been reported dead after riots following a soccer game in Indonesia, police say https://t.co/3N7TCd34BZ
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 2, 2022
Panic spread through the crowd after police fired tear gas into the crowd, according to The Associated Press.
Hundreds of people ran to an exit gate in an effort to avoid the 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.
Afinta said that the death toll would likely increase, because many of the victims’ conditions were deteriorating.
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