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174 dead in riots after soccer game in Indonesia

BAt least 174 people have died in serious riots following a soccer game in the Indonesian province of East Java. 34 people died on the field of Kanjuruhan Stadium, all others in hospitals, local police chief Nico Afinta said, according to radio station Elshinta and broadcaster tvOne. Two police officers were among the dead, the Indonesian police said. Most people died from lack of oxygen. According to Afintas, around 180 people are still in clinics.

Police used tear gas to disperse rioting spectators in the city of Malang, Afinta said at an impromptu press conference on Sunday. The riots broke out after the first division game between Arema FC and Persebaya FC. After the 3-2 defeat in Malang, thousands of spectators stormed the pitch.

Stormed space after defeat

The tragedy in Malang is one of the worst sports stadium disasters in the world. The Kanjuruhan Stadium holds a total of 42,000 spectators and was sold out according to the authorities. According to the police, 3,000 people stormed the square. “We would like to point out that not everyone was anarchic, there were only about 3000 who entered the field,” said Afinta.

The police response to the riots has been criticized on social media. “The tear gas was used because anarchy had broken out,” Afinta said, according to the New York Times. Some photo and video footage of the events at Kanjuruhan Stadium circulated. A video shows football fans climbing the security fences in front of the stands in front of clouds of smoke. Another video shows people running across the field being chased by police officers with shields and hitting them with sticks.

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