At least 180 people were killed and other hundreds injured on Saturday night in a football match in the city of Malang, Indonesia. Fans were trampled and crushed trying to escape a riot, in what was reported to be one of the deadliest sporting stadium disasters in half a century.
Supporters of the home team invaded the pitch in East Java province to express their frustration following their team’s loss 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya. In an attempt to contain the situation, police fired tear gas, creating a stampede and a state of panic as fans got trampled on, and some others suffocated in the chaos while trying to rush to the exit gate, East Java police chief Nico Afinta said.
Video footage from local news channels showed fans storming onto the Malang stadium following Arema FC’s loss. There appeared to be tear gas in the air.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said authorities must carefully evaluate security standards and procedures at games, stressing that he hoped this would be "the last soccer tragedy in the nation."
He also ordered the Football Association of Indonesia to suspend all games in the Indonesian top league BRI Liga 1, until an investigation had been completed.
It is worth mentioning that FIFA, the World soccer's governing body, specifies in its safety regulations that no firearms or "crowd control gas" should be carried or used by stewards or police.