Death toll climbs after football stadium riot in Indonesia

At least 129 people died, and around 180 were injured at a soccer match in East Java after a crowd stampede during a riot, police said on Sunday, in what appears to be one of the world’s worst stadium riot.

Riots broke out after the game ended Saturday evening, with host Arema FC of East Java’s Malang city losing to Persebaya of Surabaya 3-2.

Disappointed after their team’s loss, thousands of supporters of Arema, known as “Aremania,” reacted by throwing bottles and other objects at players and soccer officials. 

Fans flooded the Kanjuruhan Stadium pitch in protest and demanded that Arema management explain why this match ended in a loss after 23 years of undefeated home games, witnesses said.

The rioting spread outside the stadium, where at least five police vehicles were toppled and set ablaze amid the chaos.

Riot police responded by firing tear gas toward the stadium’s stands, causing panic among the crowd. Tear gas is banned at soccer stadiums by FIFA.

Some suffocated, and others were trampled as hundreds of people ran to the exit to avoid the tear gas. 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,” said East Java Police chief Nico Afinta in a news conference early Sunday.

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

He said the death toll is likely to increase because many of the approximately 180 injured who received intensive treatments at various hospitals were deteriorating.

Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali told KompasTV the ministry would re-evaluate safety at football matches, including considering not allowing spectators in stadiums. 

The Indonesian top league BRI Liga 1 has suspended games for a week following the match that Persebaya won 3-2, and an investigation has been launched, the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) said. 

Among global stadium disasters, 96 Liverpool supporters were crushed to death in Britain in April 1989, when an overcrowded and fenced-in enclosure collapsed at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. 

Indonesia will host the FIFA under-20 World Cup in May and June next year. After China pulled out as hosts, they are also one of three countries bidding to stage next year’s Asian Cup, the continent’s equivalent of the Euros.