Chaos ensued at a soccer match in Indonesia causing the death of at least 130 people after police fired tear gas into the stadium.
Numerous fans were trampled upon and suffocated, and with the rising death toll, makes this one of the most deadliest sports events in history.
Previous reports of the death toll hit around 174, however local authorities reduced the number due to some victims being counted twice.
Witnesses of the incident described being beat with stick and shields by police before they shot canisters directly into the crowds.
According to the president of FIFA, the deaths at the stadium were “a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension.”
Now, an investigation into what exactly happened with the security procedures is underway.
National police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo shared that over 100 people were receiving intensive treatment in eight hospitals, with 11 of them in critical condition.
“The stadium turned into a smoke-filled battleground when police fired tear gas,” said one spectator.
“I felt hot and stinging in my eyes, I couldn’t see clearly while my head was dizzy and everything went dark. … I passed out,” he said. He said that when he woke up, he was already in the emergency room. He said his cousin died because of head injuries.
“We wanted to entertain ourselves by watching a football match, but we got disaster,” he said.
Following the tragedy, the Arema soccer team will not be hosting any soccer matches for the remainder of the season.
The local police chief of Malang revealed that there had been over 42,000 spectators at the game.
And rights groups are now blaming the use of tear gas in the stadium by police for the event.
“Those who are found to have committed violations are tried in open court and do not merely receive internal or administrative sanctions,” said Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia.
“No one should lose their lives at a football match,” Hamid said.
