Riot on football pitch kills at least 174 in Indonesia

At least 174 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a riot and a stampede at an Indonesian football stadium.

The tragedy on October 1 night in the eastern city of Malang was one of the world’s deadliest sporting stadium disasters, Al Jazeera reports.

Police in East Java province said thousands of fans of Arema FC stormed the pitch at Kanjuruhan Stadium after their team lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya. Officers tried to control the “riots” by firing tear gas, triggering a stampede as panicked fans rushed to an exit gate.

Some suffocated in the chaos while others were trampled to death. At least 34 people, including two police officers, died at the stadium.

East Java’s Vice Governor Emil Dardak told Kompas TV in an interview on October 2 afternoon that the death toll has climbed to 174, while more than 100 injured people were receiving intensive treatment in eight hospitals. Eleven of them were in critical condition, he said.

“At 9:30 am (0230 GMT) the death toll was 158, at 10:30 am the figure rose to 174 deaths,” Dardak said.

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

Video footage from local news channels showed fans streaming onto the pitch in the Kanjurujan Stadium in Malang after Arema FC lost to Persebaya Surabaya. Scuffles can be seen, with what appeared to be tear gas in the air. Images also showed people who appeared to have lost consciousness being carried away by other fans.

The stadium holds 42,000 people and authorities said it was a sell-out. Police said about 3,000 people had stormed the pitch. Vehicles outside the stadium were also torched, including at least five police vehicles.