Police under fire after 125 killed in Indonesia stadium stampede

MALANG: Indonesian police came under mounting criticism Sunday (Oct 2) after 125 people died in a stampede at a football stadium where officers fired tear gas on angry fans invading the pitch.

The tragedy on Saturday night in the city of Malang, which also left 323 injured according to police, was one of the world's deadliest sporting stadium disasters.

Arema FC supporters at the Kanjuruhan stadium stormed the pitch after their team lost 3-2 to the visiting team and bitter rivals, Persebaya Surabaya.

Police, who described the unrest as riots, said they tried to force fans to return to the stands and fired tear gas after two officers were killed.

Many of the victims were trampled or choked to death, according to police.

Arema football coach Javier Roca on Sunday said that fans had even "died in the arms of players", after some of the team stayed on the pitch when the game ended.

"Returning from the press conference, I saw the tragedy," he said, adding that "the boys passed by with victims in their arms".

"I think the police overstepped their mark, even though I wasn't out there and didn't experience the outcome," the Chilean coach told Spanish broadcaster Cadena Ser.

Survivors described panicking spectators in a packed crowd as tear gas rained down on them.

"Officers fired tear gas, and automatically people were rushing to come out, pushing each other and it caused many victims," 43-year-old spectator Doni, who declined to give his last name, told AFP.

"Nothing was happening, there was no riot. I don't know what the issue was, they suddenly fired tear gas. That's what shocked me. Didn't they think about kids, women?"

People carried injured spectators through the chaos and survivors lugged lifeless bodies out of the stadium.

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