129 dead after fans stampede to exit Indonesian soccer match
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MANILA, Philippines — The death toll rose to 23 following the stampede at a sports event in Indonesia after fans panicked when they discovered the arena doors weren’t opening.
Thirty-six people were injured, seven seriously or slightly wounded, after thousands of people rushed through the gates after the match of the season for the national teams of Myanmar, Indonesia and Australia.
Police and Indonesian officials say the stampede happened during the final 15 minutes of the game at the Gelora Bung Karno arena.
The cause of the panic isn’t known. It isn’t clear if the gates were open before the stampede.
There is speculation that the crowds that took to the streets of the capital were angry over a slow crowd response or disappointment over the match being held without their favourite teams.
Fans at the arena were seen jumping over each other to get to the front.
They blocked traffic and the police had to close down KFC Road, a main road in the city.
In the confusion, fans tried to stampede through the stadium doors, leading to the stampede, officials said.
Police have arrested more than 80 people for alleged rioting and looting among the crowds.
“We are investigating the cause of the stampede and the reason for the emergency. We are looking at what caused the crowd to panic and rush towards the venue door after the matches were over,” said an official from Indonesian police.
He added that at this point, all the dead are from the stampede.
“Some of the dead have died as a result of the stampede, some died later of blood clotting or blood poisoning, some died of the head injury, some died of trauma,” he said
