Indonesia's deadly football stampede: What we know so far - CNA

Mr Hamid also called for the officers involved to be prosecuted. “This loss of life cannot go unanswered,” he said.

The 1964 football disaster in Lima, Peru which killed 328 people was also prompted by the firing of tear gas as did the 2001 disaster in Accra, Ghana which killed 126 people.

National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said police have launched an internal inquiry to review police handling of the situation.

“We have already collected data from the crime scene. What is clear is that we will seriously investigate to the very end,” he said on Sunday.

DID THE SECURITY PERSONNEL ACT EXCESSIVELY?

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Indonesian military chief Andika Perkasa admitted that some military personnel responsible for securing the match had acted excessively by hitting fans who were already retreating or lying helpless on the ground.

“For me, this is a criminal act. We will not (impose) disciplinary sanctions but (launch a) criminal (prosecution). Because (their actions) were excessive,” he said.

Police had not made a similar pledge saying that the decision to punish the officers involved in the incident depends on the outcome of its investigation.

National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said police are currently investigating the crime scene including examining footage taken by the stadium’s surveillance cameras.

Police, he said, will also question officials from the league, the provincial chapter of the PSSI, Arema and the province’s Youth and Sports Agency.

Mr Prasetyo added that police have also questioned 18 police officers who were involved in securing the match as part of its internal investigation.

On Monday, police announced that they have suspended 10 officials including chief of the Malang City police, Ferli Hidayat. 9 others were field commanders in the match. 

INDEPENDENT FACT-FINDING TEAM 

Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security, Mohammad Mahfud said overcapacity might also be to blame.

“The number of spectators should be based on the stadium’s capacity, which is 38,000 people. But the organiser did not do this ... The ticket sold was 42,000,” he told local media on Sunday.

Mr Mahfud announced on Monday that the government is forming an independent fact-finding team comprising senior government officials, representatives of football clubs and associations as well as academics and the media to determine what happened at Kanjuruhan Stadium.

The team will be led by Mr Mahfud with Youth and Sports Minister Zainuddin Amali serving as vice chairman. It is also made up of a former football athlete, a sports journalist, an activist, two academics and several former government officials.

The team is expected to complete its fact-finding task and make recommendations in two or three weeks' time.

“Police are asked to immediately identify the culprits over the next few days and to conduct an evaluation on how security is handled in their respective areas,” said Mr Mahfud told a press conference at his office in Jakarta.

He also announced that the government has agreed for compensation to be made to the families of the victims. 

"Although the loss of lives cannot be valued in money, but the president is willing to provide compensation of Rp 50 million (US$3,268) for each deceased victim. We will soon do it. We just need to verify administrative data with the local government and so on," he said.

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2022-10-03 09:28:00Z
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Indonesia orders stadium disaster 'perpetrators' punished - CNA

MALANG, Indonesia: Indonesia's government on Monday (Oct 3) called on the country's police to identify and punish whoever was responsible for a stadium stampede that left 125 people dead, as anger mounted over one of the deadliest disasters in the history of football.

The tragedy on Saturday night in the city of Malang also saw 323 people injured after officers fired tear gas in a packed stadium to quell a pitch invasion, triggering a stampede.

"We ask the national police to find the perpetrators who have committed crimes in the next few days," Indonesia's chief security minister Mahfud MD said in a broadcast statement, without specifying who he was referring to.

"We asked them to unveil who has perpetrated the crimes and that action must be taken against them and we also hope the National Police will evaluate their security procedures," he added, announcing a task force for the investigation had been formed.

The incident unfolded when fans of home team Arema FC stormed the pitch at the Kanjuruhan stadium after their loss 3-2 to bitter rivals Persebaya Surabaya.

Police responded by launching volleys of tear gas into packed terraces, prompting spectators to rush en masse to small gates where many were trampled or suffocated, according to witnesses.

Police described the incident as a riot in which two officers were killed but survivors accuse them of overreacting and causing the deaths of scores of spectators, including a five-year-old boy.

"One of our messages is for the authorities to investigate this (incident) thoroughly. And we want accountability, who is to blame?" said 25-year-old Andika, who declined to give his last name.

"We want justice for our fallen supporters," he said.

"MURDERER!"

Outside the Kanjuruhan stadium on Sunday evening, people held a vigil beneath the roaring lion statue - the club's symbol - to honour the victims.

But fresh graffiti daubed on the walls of the stadium revealed bubbling anger towards the authorities.

"My siblings were killed. Investigate thoroughly," read one message scrawled on the stadium's shutters, accompanied by a black ribbon and the date of the tragedy.

"ACAB", an acronym for "all cops are bastards", was sprayed on another wall.

In Jakarta, hundreds of football fans gathered outside the country's biggest stadium on Sunday chanting "murderer! murderer!", singing songs in support of Arema FC and placing police tape on the complex's fence.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced a probe into the incident, but rights groups said it should be independent and officers should be held accountable for using tear gas in a confined area.

"We call on authorities to conduct a swift, thorough, and independent investigation into the use of tear gas at the stadium and ensure that those who are found to have committed violations are tried in open court," Amnesty International said in a statement.

"This loss of life cannot go unanswered."

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2022-10-03 05:29:00Z
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Police under fire after 125 killed in Indonesia stadium stampede - CNA

MALANG: Indonesian police came under mounting criticism Sunday (Oct 2) after 125 people died in a stampede at a football stadium where officers fired tear gas on angry fans invading the pitch.

The tragedy on Saturday night in the city of Malang, which also left 323 injured according to police, was one of the world's deadliest sporting stadium disasters.

Arema FC supporters at the Kanjuruhan stadium stormed the pitch after their team lost 3-2 to the visiting team and bitter rivals, Persebaya Surabaya.

Police, who described the unrest as riots, said they tried to force fans to return to the stands and fired tear gas after two officers were killed.

Many of the victims were trampled or choked to death, according to police.

Arema football coach Javier Roca on Sunday said that fans had even "died in the arms of players", after some of the team stayed on the pitch when the game ended.

"Returning from the press conference, I saw the tragedy," he said, adding that "the boys passed by with victims in their arms".

"I think the police overstepped their mark, even though I wasn't out there and didn't experience the outcome," the Chilean coach told Spanish broadcaster Cadena Ser.

Survivors described panicking spectators in a packed crowd as tear gas rained down on them.

"Officers fired tear gas, and automatically people were rushing to come out, pushing each other and it caused many victims," 43-year-old spectator Doni, who declined to give his last name, told AFP.

"Nothing was happening, there was no riot. I don't know what the issue was, they suddenly fired tear gas. That's what shocked me. Didn't they think about kids, women?"

People carried injured spectators through the chaos and survivors lugged lifeless bodies out of the stadium.

"It was so terrifying, so shocking," 22-year-old survivor Sam Gilang, who lost three friends in the crush, told AFP.

"People were pushing each other and ... many were trampled on their way to the exit gate. My eyes were burning because of the tear gas. I, fortunately, managed to climb up the fence and survived," he said.

At least 125 people died, East Java deputy governor Emil Dardak told broadcaster Metro TV on Sunday evening, significantly lowering officials' earlier death toll of 174 because of double counting.

"Some names were recorded twice because they had been referred to another hospital and were written down again," he said, citing data collected by local police from 10 hospitals.

President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation into the tragedy, a safety review into all football matches and directed the country's football association to suspend all games until "security improvements" were completed.

A hospital director told local TV that one of the victims was five years old.

Video footage circulating on social media showed people shouting obscenities at police, who were holding riot shields and wielding batons.

Images taken from inside the stadium during the stampede additionally showed police firing huge amounts of tear gas and people clambering over fences.

Amnesty International called for an investigation into why tear gas was deployed in a confined space, saying it should only be used "when other methods have failed".

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2022-10-03 00:49:12Z
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Chaos before stampede delivered disaster to Indonesia football fans - The Straits Times

MALANG, Indonesia - Mr Sam Gilang rushed to the exit of the Indonesian football stadium with thousands of other terrified spectators as police fired tear gas and hit fans with batons, creating a stampede that police said claimed 125 lives.

"People were pushing each other and... many were trampled on their way to the exit gate," the 22-year-old survivor of Saturday's deadly tragedy told AFP.

Spectators - including women and children - pushed and stepped on one another, scrambling through the packed terrace and gasping for air, to reach any exit at Kanjuruhan stadium in the city of Malang, East Java.

Many of the victims were trampled or choked to death, police said, in what is one of the worst disasters in sporting history.

Mr Gilang lost three friends in the crush.

"It was so terrifying, so shocking," he said.

A domino effect of tragic events unfolded after the final whistle in a 3-2 win for visiting team Persebaya Surabaya - the bitter rivals of Malang's Arema FC.

Several thousand fans descended onto the pitch - some angry, some who wanted to join the crowd to shake the hands of players for home team Arema FC after the loss to their fierce rivals.

As horns blared and obscenities were shouted at the police from the crowd, they watched as their fellow fans ran across the grass.

But the police tried to force spectators back to the confined stands, pushing them with their batons and riot shields.

They then unleashed a hail of tear gas on the terraces in front of the stadium's exit gates 12 and 13.

Police said there was a "riot", but some witnesses rebuffed that description of events.

"There was no riot. I don't know what the issue was, they suddenly fired tear gas," 43-year-old spectator Doni, who declined to give his last name, told AFP.

"That's what shocked me, didn't they think about kids, women?"

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2022-10-02 11:54:31Z
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Stampede, riot at Indonesia football match kill at least 125, league suspended - CNA

JAKARTA: At least 125 people died at an Indonesian football stadium when thousands of angry home fans invaded the pitch and police responded with tear gas that triggered a stampede, authorities said on Sunday (Oct 2).

According to AFP, the tragedy on Saturday night in the city of Malang, which also left 180 injured, was one of the world's deadliest sporting stadium disasters. 

At least 125 people died, East Java deputy governor Emil Dardak told broadcaster Metro TV on Sunday evening, significantly lowering officials' earlier death toll of 174 because of double counting, AFP reported. 

"124 have been identified and one has not. Some names were recorded twice because they had been referred to another hospital and were written down again," he said, citing data collected by local police from 10 hospitals.

The stadium had been been filled beyond capacity, said Indonesia's chief security minister Mahfud MD. In an Instagram post, he said 42,000 tickets had been issued for a stadium that was meant to hold 38,000 people. 

After the match on Saturday in East Java province where Arema FC lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya, supporters from the losing team invaded the pitch and police had fired tear gas, triggering a stampede and cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta told reporters.

"It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars," Nico said, adding that the crush occurred when fans fled for an exit gate.

Two police officers were among the dead, the police chief said, adding that 34 people died inside the stadium and the rest died in hospital.

The head of one of the hospitals in the area treating patients told Metro TV that some of the victims had sustained brain injuries and that the fatalities included a five-year-old child.

Video footage from local news channels showed people rushing onto the pitch in the stadium in Malang and images of body bags.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities must thoroughly evaluate security at matches, adding that he hoped this would be "the last soccer tragedy in the nation".

Jokowi, as the president is known, ordered the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) to suspend all games in the Indonesian top league BRI Liga 1 until an investigation had been completed.

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2022-10-02 11:37:30Z
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Jokowi orders safety review in wake of deadly Indonesia football stampede - CNA

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday (Oct 2) ordered a safety review of the country's football matches after 129 people were killed in a stampede triggered by clashes between fans and police.

In a televised statement, he said country's sports and youth minister, national police chief and Indonesian football association chief were ordered "to conduct a thorough evaluation of football matches and the security procedures".

Separately, the governor of East Java announced that the families of the victims will receive 15 million rupiah (US$980) in compensation.

Khofifah Indar Parawansa said the provincial government will give 10 million rupiah ($650) and the local regency will give five million rupiah.

"This is part of our empathy to the families of the victims," she said.

At least 129 people died at a football stadium on Saturday night in the eastern city of Malang when thousands of fans invaded the pitch and police fired tear gas that triggered a stampede, authorities said on Sunday.

The tragedy, which also left 180 injured, was one of the world's deadliest sporting stadium disasters.

Arema FC supporters at the Kanjuruhan stadium stormed the pitch late on Saturday after their team lost 3-2 to the visiting team and bitter rivals, Persebaya Surabaya.

Police, who described the unrest as "riots", said they tried to persuade fans to return to the stands and fired tear gas after two officers were killed.

Many of the victims were trampled or choked to death, according to police.

East Java police chief Nico Afinta said a total of 127 people had died, but the toll was later raised to 129.

The head of one of the hospitals in the area treating patients told local TV that some of the victims had sustained brain injuries and that the dead included a five-year-old child.

Images taken from inside the stadium during the stampede showed police firing huge amounts of tear gas and people clambering over fences.

People were carrying injured spectators through the chaos.

Video footage circulating on social media showed people shouting obscenities at police, who were holding riot shields and wielding batons.

The stadium holds 42,000 people and authorities said it was a sell-out. Police said 3,000 people stormed the pitch.

"We would like to convey that ... not all of them were anarchic. Only about 3,000 who entered the pitch," Afinta said.

LEAGUE SUSPENDED

Torched vehicles, including a police truck, littered the streets outside the stadium on Sunday morning. Police said 13 vehicles in total were damaged.

The Indonesian government apologised for the incident and promised to investigate the circumstances surrounding the stampede.

"This is a regrettable incident that 'injures' our football at a time when supporters can watch football matches from the stadium," Indonesian Sports and Youth Minister Zainudin Amali told broadcaster Kompas.

"We will thoroughly evaluate the organisation of the match and the attendance of supporters. Will we return to banning supporters from attending the matches? That is what we will discuss."

Fan violence is an enduring problem in Indonesia, where deep rivalries have previously turned into deadly confrontations.

Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya are longtime rivals.

Persebaya Surabaya fans were not allowed to buy tickets for the game due to fears of violence.

However Indonesia's coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Mahfud MD, said organisers ignored the recommendation of authorities to hold the match in the afternoon instead of the evening.

And he said the government had recommended only 38,000 tickets be printed, but there was instead a sell-out crowd of 42,000.

"The government has made improvements to the implementation of football matches ... and will continue to improve. But this sport, which is a favourite of the wider community, often provokes supporters to express emotions suddenly," he said in an Instagram post.

The Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) suspended football matches of Indonesia's top league, BRI Liga 1, for one week.

It also banned Arema FC from hosting home games for the rest of the season and said it would send an investigation team to Malang to establish the cause of the crush.

"We're sorry and apologise to families of the victims and all parties over the incident," PSSI chairman Mochamad Iriawan said.

Indonesia is to host the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in May at six stadiums across the country. The Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang is not included in that list.

Other stadium disasters include a 1989 crush in the stands at Britain's Hillsborough Stadium, which led to the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans, and the 2012 Port Said stadium tragedy in Egypt where 74 people died in clashes.

In 1964, 320 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured during a stampede at a Peru-Argentina Olympic qualifier at Lima's National Stadium.

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2022-10-02 04:05:00Z
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Indonesia police say 129 people killed after stampede at football match - CNA

JAKARTA: At least 129 people were killed and around 180 injured at a football match in Indonesia after a crowd stampede during a riot, police said on Sunday (Oct 2), in what appears to be one of the world's worst stadium disasters.

The stadium had been been filled beyond capacity, said Indonesia's chief security minister Mahfud MD. In an Instagram post, he said 42,000 tickets had been issued for a stadium that was meant to hold 38,000 people. 

After the match in East Java province between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya ended on Saturday night, supporters from the losing team invaded the pitch and police had fired tear gas, triggering a stampede and cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta told reporters.

"It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars," Nico said, adding that the crush occurred when fans fled for an exit gate.

Two police officers were among the day, the police chief said, adding that 34 people died inside the stadium and the rest died in hospital.

Video footage from local news channels showed people rushing onto the pitch in the stadium in Malang and images of body bags.

World football's governing body FIFA specifies in its safety regulations that no firearms or "crowd control gas" should be carried or used by stewards or police.

East Java police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether they were aware of such regulations.

Indonesia's human rights commission planned to investigate security at the ground, including the use of tear gas, its commissioner told Reuters.

There have been previous outbreaks of trouble at matches in Indonesia, with a strong rivalry between clubs sometimes leading to violence among supporters.

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