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Football

02nd Oct 2022

Hundreds killed after riot breaks out at football match

Jack Peat

The latest estimates suggest there are at least 174 fatalities.

Hundreds of people have been killed after a riot broke out at a football match in Indonesia.

Fans took to the pitch at a stadium in East Java during a game between Arema and Persebaya Surabaya.

Trouble started after Persebaya Surabaya won 3-2 – and according to local reports, with thousands of Arema fans went on to the pitch after their team lost.

The stampede began when the police fired tear gas into the crowd.

Images showed people who appeared to be unconscious being carried away by other fans.

Early reports suggested at least 129 people had died in the incident, but that has been updated to at least 174 with more than 100 injured.

More than 300 people were rushed to nearby hospitals, but many died on the way or in treatment.

Some of the victims have sustained brain injuries – and one doctor told local media that a five-year-old was among those who had died.

A local health official said many of the victims died of “chaos, overcrowding, trampling and suffocation”.

Justinus Lhaksana, a former coach for Indonesia’s national futsal team, told Sky News: “This is the not first time we have had deadly casualties. But usually, it’s one or two people who die after a match.

“I’m very sad the right solution was not found way before this happened.”

Mr Lhaksana claims fans in Indonesia enter the pitch “almost every weekend”, and such disturbances have been going on for years.

“This is not a clash between two rivalries – this is just a clash between disappointed fans and police.”

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