174 killed in stampede at football match in Indonesia

In what appears to be one of the world’s worst stadium disasters, at least 174 people have been killed after a riot at a football match in Indonesia. The violence broke out at a stadium on Saturday in East Java during a game between Arema and Persebaya Surabaya, reported The Straits Times.
More than 300 people were rushed to nearby hospitals, but many died on the way or in treatment. FIFA regulations state that no firearms or “crowd control gas” should be carried or used by the police.
“At least 174 people died in the stampede”, Deputy East Java Governor Emil Dardak told local media on Sunday afternoon. Other official or government-backed sources put the number between 129 and 182.
Video footage from local news channels showed people rushing onto the pitch in the stadium in Malang and images of body bags, reported The Straits Times. 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 to express their frustration, police said.
Officers fired tear gas to control the situation, triggering a stampede and cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta told reporters.
Meanwhile, Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday ordered a safety review of the country’s football matches.
As reported by Sky News, Indonesia’s chief security minister, Mahfud MD, has said on social media that the stadium was filled beyond capacity.
While the sporting venue is only supposed to hold 38,000 people, he claimed 42,000 tickets had been issued.
Indonesia’s football league had said games would be suspended for a week – but Widodo has ordered all matches to be postponed until the investigation is concluded, reported Sky News.
Arema has also been banned from hosting matches for the rest of the season. Further sanctions could follow. There have been previous outbreaks of trouble at matches in Indonesia, with an intense rivalry between clubs sometimes sparking violence between supporters.