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Pitch invasion after football match results in over 100 deaths in Indonesia

Video footage from local news channels showed people rushing onto the pitch in the stadium in Malang and images of body bags.

By Mike Joseph
Indonesia pitch invasion after the match (Image: Twitter)

Jakarta, October 2: Over hundreds reportedly died after a pitch invasion and supporters clash during a local club football match in Indonesia on Saturday (October 1) night.

Reuters on Sunday (October 2) reported the Indonesian police as saying that 127 people had died and 180 were injured after the stampede following crowd trouble at a football match in the province of East Java.

After the BRI Liga 1 match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya had ended, supporters from the losing team invaded the pitch, forced the police to fire tear gas, triggering a stampede and cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta told reporters.

A video footage from local news channels showed people rushing onto the pitch that led to the melee in the stadium in Malang along with images of body bags.

Images captured from inside the stadium show people desperately clambering over fences, while outside the stadium there were torched vehicles, including a police car.

Malang health chief Widjanto Widjoyo put the death toll at 129, based on information from hospitals within the area. Among those were at least two police officers.

The Indonesian top league BRI Liga 1 suspended games for a week following the match that Persebaya won 3-2 and the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) said an investigation had been launched regarding the incident.

"PSSI regrets the actions of Arema supporters at the Kanjuruhan Stadium. We are sorry and apologize to the families of the victims and all parties for the incident. For that PSSI immediately formed an investigation team and immediately left for Malang," the statement read.

With a strong rivalry between clubs, there have been previous incidents of trouble at matches in Indonesia as supporters clashes have led to violence.

Story first published: Sunday, October 2, 2022, 11:38 [IST]
Other articles published on Oct 2, 2022