More than 120 people have reportedly died after chaos and violence erupted between Javanese clubs Arema and Persebaya Surabaya following an Indonesian league football match.
According to the details, the footballs fans and supporters of the Javanese clubs Arema and Persebaya Surabaya clashed after Arema were defeated by 3-2 at the match in Malang Regency, East Java.
Meanwhile, the officials and paramedics are still collating the number of injured victims. “More than 120 people died, they died of chaos, overcrowding, trampling and suffocation,” the head of the Malang Regency health office, Wiyanto Wijoyo, told local media outlets.
He added that more than a hundred people were referred to different local hospitals for medical assistance.
According to reports, the chaos started as thousands of Arema fans rushed into the field after their team had lost, while Persebaya players immediately left the field, but several Arema players who were still on the field were attacked by the angry football fans.
The causalities are said have occurred after the police intervened and fired tear gas into the crowded stands, causing mass panic among the supporters at the Kanjuruhan Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian league has been suspended for a week as a result of the deadly incident and officials have claimed that violence caused several deaths, but number of victims who victims who lost their lives could not be ascertained so the actual number may rise.
“We are concerned and deeply regret this incident,” said Akhmad Hadian Lukita, the president director of PT Liga Indonesia Baru. “We share our condolences and hopefully this will be a valuable lesson for all of us.”
The Indonesian football association (PSSI) will also launch an investigation into the incident to find out what happened after the game.
It is pertinent to mention that neither the FA not the league officially confirmed the number of causalities. However, the number of injured are said to be over 180 as per some sources.
#Update: Just in – Shocking video footage showing you dead people turned blue duo to the extreme tear gas that was being used and thrown at fans by riot police, between a football match of Arema and Persebaya, resulting in 127 dead and 180 people injured in #Indonesia. pic.twitter.com/1NyhDKojKa
— Sotiri Dimpinoudis (@sotiridi) October 1, 2022
