At least 129 people are dead — most of them trampled in a stampede– after violent brawls erupted between opposing fans after a soccer match in Indonesia, local police said.
Numerous fights broke out among rival fans at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in East Java province’s Malang city just as Persebaya Surabaya defeated Arema Malang 3-2 in the Indonesian Premier League Match on Sunday.
In an effort to break up the fights, riot police fired tear gas which sent hundreds of panicked fans fleeing for the stadium exits, East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta told the Associated Press.
In the chaos, 34 people were trampled to death instantly, while others suffocated.
Afinta said over 300 others were rushed to local hospitals, but many died on the way and during treatment.
The death toll is likely to increase, he said, as many of the 180 injured victims’ conditions were worsening.
Video circulating on social media shows fans from each side of the soccer pitch sprint toward midfield, appearing ready to fight each other before riot police suddenly run between them.
Officers examine a damaged police vehicle following a clash between supporters of two Indonesian soccer teams at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Indonesia.AP Photo/Yudha Prabowo
Other video shows hundreds of fans frantically sprinting across the pitch for the exits, flinging themselves over barriers and desperately climbing fences.
Riot police can be seen kicking and hitting people with batons as they try to get away — and firing tear gas canisters directly into the crowd at both ends of the field.
Another video shot from the seats shows a whole section of the stands engulfed in tear gas as fans cry out.