MALANG, Indonesia –
Indonesian police said they are investigating more than a dozen officers responsible for firing tear gas that sparked a swarm that killed 125 people at a soccer game as families and friends mourned the victims Monday, including 17 Children.
Distraught family members struggled to understand the sudden loss of loved ones at the game in the East Java city of Malang, which was watched only by fans of hometown Arema FC. The organizer had banned the visit of Persebaya Surabaya supporters due to Indonesia’s history of violent soccer rivalries.
The scrum was among the world’s deadliest disasters at a sporting event.
Witnesses said fans flooded the pitch and demanded from Arema management why it ended in a 3-2 defeat against Persebaya on Saturday night after 23 years of unbeaten home games. Some of the 42,000 Arema fans threw bottles and other objects at players and football officials. At least five police vehicles were overturned and set on fire in front of the stadium.
But most of the deaths occurred as riot police trying to stop the violence fired tear gas, including into the stands, prompting a catastrophic rush of fans who ran for the exits in a panic and chaos. Most of the 125 dead were trampled on or suffocated.
At least 17 children were among the dead and seven were being treated in hospitals, the Ministry for Women’s Advancement and Child Protection said. According to police, a total of 323 people were injured in the crush, some of whom are still in critical condition.
National Police spokesman Dedy Prasetyo said in a news conference that 18 officers responsible for the tear gas firing, from middle to senior ranks, were under investigation along with “internal matters related to security management.”
He said police were still interviewing witnesses and analyzing footage from 32 surveillance cameras inside and outside the stadium and nine cell phones of the victims as part of the investigation, also to identify suspected vandals. Two police officers were among the dead.
Arema players and officials laid wreaths in front of the stadium on Monday. “We came here as a team asking for forgiveness from the families affected by this tragedy, those who have lost loved ones or who are still being treated in hospital,” said head coach Javier Roca.
At the home of Faiqotul Hikmah, 22, her parents and relatives howled as an ambulance arrived with her body wrapped in a white sheet and black blanket. An Aremania – the nickname for Arema fans – died trying to escape to Exit 12 of Kanjuruhan Stadium.
A dozen friends traveled to see the game, but Hikmah was one of only four to enter the stadium because tickets were sold out, her friend Abdul Mukid said in an interview with the Associated Press on Monday. He later bought a ticket separately from a broker, and then found out about the chaos that had broken out at the stadium.
“I have to find her, save her… that stopped me from thinking about anything else,” Mukid recalled. “The situation is really…really terrible!”
Mukid found Hikmah’s body on a building on the stadium grounds, her face bruised and her ribs broken. He learned of a second friend who had died from other friends who called him while he was in the ambulance carrying Hikmah’s body to a hospital. Noval Putra Aulia, 19, was an orphan who was cared for by his brother since the death of her parents five years ago, Mukid said.
“I can’t put into words how sad I am to lose my sister,” said Nur Laila, Hikmah’s older sibling. “She was just a big Arema fan who wanted to see her favorite team play. She shouldn’t just die for it,” she said, wiping away tears.
President Joko Widodo ordered the first division football to be suspended until security is reassessed and security tightened. The Indonesian Football Federation has also banned Arema from hosting football matches for the remainder of the season.
Gilang Widya Pramana, President of Arema FC, expressed his sorrow and deepest apologies to the victims and the Indonesian people and said he was ready to take full responsibility for the tragedy at his team’s stadium.
He said the management, coach and players are shocked and speechless.
“I am ready to provide assistance even if it cannot bring back the victim’s life,” Pramana said at a press conference at Arema’s Malang headquarters on Monday.
“This incident was unpredictable, beyond all reason… in a game seen only by our fans, not the supporters of a single rival,” he said through sobs. “How can this match kill more than 100 people? An incident that probably would not happen in the world.”
He said Arema FC is ready to accept any sanctions from the Indonesian Football Federation and the government and “hopefully it will be a very valuable lesson”.
Security Minister Mohammad Mahfud said he would conduct a separate inquiry to look into legal violations in the disaster. The team will also determine what victim compensation should be provided and will complete the task in three weeks.
Human rights organization Amnesty International called on Indonesia to investigate the use of tear gas and ensure those responsible are brought to justice. While FIFA has no control over domestic matches, it has discouraged the use of tear gas in football stadiums.
Despite Indonesia’s lack of international sporting accolades, hooliganism is rife in the football-obsessed country, where bigotry often ends in violence. Data from Indonesia’s football regulator Save Our Soccer shows that 78 people have died in match-related incidents over the past 28 years.
Saturday’s game was among the world’s worst mass disasters in sport, including the 1996 World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica in Guatemala City, which left over 80 dead and over 100 others injured. In April 2001, more than 40 people were crushed to death during a football match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia contributed to this report