The death toll in Saturday’s riot at a stadium in Malang, Indonesia, has risen to 131, a local health agency said today, noting that about 300 people were injured in the incident.
The previous death toll released by Indonesian authorities was 125 dead, including 32 children.
The six additional deaths were due to injuries sustained during the riots and the bodies “have been returned to their families,” Wiyanto Wijoyo, the head of Malang’s health service, told AFP today.
The government has suspended all matches in the national football league and has announced it is opening an investigation into the tragedy.
Investigators in the case today questioned Indonesian police officials in connection with the incident at the stadium in Malang, local authorities said.
Malang police chief Ferli Hidayat was fired on Monday and nine police officers were suspended, while a further 19 police officers were questioned about the riots that took place in the stadium, which was occupied only by Arema FC supporters, the chief of Indonesia’s national police said. , Dedi Prasetyo.
The police chief of the province of East Java, Nico Afinta, where the disturbances took place in the football stadium on Saturday, apologized today.
“As chief of the regional police, I am concerned, saddened and at the same time deplored the shortcomings of the security system,” Afinta said at a news conference in Malang.
Riots broke out on Saturday night when thousands of supporters of the Arema FC club burst onto the field after a 3-2 defeat to rivals Persebaya Surabaya at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java province, and clashed with security forces.
The stadium was at full capacity, with over 42,000 fans. An angry mob confronted the police and destroyed several stadium infrastructure, as well as about 15 vehicles, in a violent scene described by East Java police chief Nico Afinta as “lawless”.
Security guards responded with tear gas in an attempt to stop the attacks, sparking panic among supporters and a stampede. According to hospital sources, most of the victims succumbed to suffocation, trauma or a collision with a car.
Several survivors and witnesses to the violence denounced the brutality of the police, who not only fired tear gas canisters but also used batons to confront supporters, according to reports prepared by local media.
Source: DN
