At least 174 people killed in Indonesian football riot

At least 174 people are believed to be dead after angry fans invaded a football pitch after a match in Indonesia. WARNING: Disturbing content.

WARNING: Disturbing content

At least 174 people have been killed, mostly trampled to death, when angry fans invaded a football pitch after a match in Malang, East Java in Indonesia, police said.

Persebaya Surabaya claimed a 3-2 victory over rivals Arema Malang in an Indonesian Liga 1 football contest at Kanjuruhan Stadium on Saturday evening, with spectators storming the field after the final whistle.

“In the incident, 127 people died, two of whom are police officers,” East Java police chief Nico Afinta said in a statement on Sunday.

“Thirty-four people died inside the stadium and the rest died in hospital.”

Indonesian authorities said later on Sunday the death toll has climbed to at least 174 fatalities, with a further 180 injured, making the stampede one of the world’s worst stadium disasters.

At least two of the dead are reported to be police officers.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo has ordered a pause on all the country’s top league matches as authorities investigate Sunday’s tragedy.

At least 174 people, including two police officers, have been killed in a stampede triggered by the use of tear gas to quell unrest after an Indonesian league football match in East Java on Sunday.

A boy is carried away as members of the Indonesian army secure the pitch after the stampede. Picture: AFP

Crowds trampled in the chaos

According to Afinta, police fired tear gas into the venue after brawls erupted among supporters in the stands, prompting hundreds of patrons to desperately scramble towards exit gates.

Several people suffocated and fainted in the chaos, while others were trampled.

In footage from the incident that circulated social media on Sunday, police were seen kicking and beating people with batons as they attempted to run from the field.

Arema footballers were attacked in the chaos, according to local reports, while at least 300 people were rushed to nearby hospitals.

“It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars,” East Java police chief Nico Afinta said, according to the BBC.

“We would like to convey that ... not all of them were anarchic. Only about 3000 who entered the pitch.”

Other amateur videos posted to Twitter showed motionless bodies lined up in the stadium and overturned vehicles on the street.

Wiyanto Wijoyo, the head of the Malang Regency health office, confirmed earlier on Sunday that at least 120 people died from “chaos, overcrowding, trampling and suffocation”.

The death toll rose later on Sunday, to at least 174.

NEW - Over 100 people were killed tonight in riots that broke out at a football match in Indonesia.pic.twitter.com/hGZEwQyHmL

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 1, 2022

BREAKING: Over 100 people were killed and 200 injured in a riot at a football stadium in Malang Indonesia, authorities said. #news#BreakingNews#Newsnight#NewsUpdate#NewsBreak#soccer#Indonesia#malang#AremavsPersebaya#arema#Kanjuruhan#bonekjancok#footballpic.twitter.com/SXhCPfTId9

— That Guy Shane (@ProfanityNewz) October 1, 2022

Akhmad Hadian Lukita, president of the PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB), issued a statement after the incident: “We are concerned and deeply regret this incident,” he said.

“We share our condolences and hopefully this will be a valuable lesson for all of us.”

Indonesia FA (PSSI) president Mochamad Iriawan also released a statement: “PSSI regrets the actions of Aremania supporters at the Kanjuruhan Stadium.

“We are sorry and apologise 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.”

Indonesian Liga 1 has been suspended for a week as a result of the deadly ordeal.

A group of people carry a man at Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang. Photo by AFP

A torched car outside Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java. Photo by PUTRI / AFP

— with AFP