Valdya Balaptri、Raja Lumbanrau (Indonesia·Maran), Matt Murphy (London), BBC News
image provided, AFP
Many spectators rushed onto the pitch following the game at Kangjulhan Stadium.
The riots came just following Arema FC lost 3-2 to arch-rivals Persebaya Surabaya. 125 people died. Roca said he was “mentally devastated.”
The youngest person to die was just three years old, officials said.
In the incident, the supporters turned into a mob following the match and rushed to the pitch. Panic erupted in the stadium as police fired tear gas. Thousands rushed to the exit, many choking. More than 320 people were injured.
About 18 police officers have so far been questioned over the tear gas firing. At least nine police officials have also been suspended, with the head of police in the city of Malang, where the stadium is located, sacked.
image provided, AFP via Getty Images
Tear gas fired by the police sent the crowd into a panic
Eyewitnesses interviewed by the BBC said police fired numerous gas canisters “continuously and rapidly” following the situation became “tensed” with fans.
Videos posted on social media showed fans climbing the fence as they tried to exit the stadium. Some footage appears to show a dead body lying on the floor of the stadium.
Chandra, who was at the scene, said the smoke that covered the stands instantly caused panic among the crowd.
“Little children cried, women fainted, screams were heard here and there, and everyone ran outside.”
One of the spectators, Eko, said he was stuck at the exit of the stand because there were so many people trying to escape. “My friend and I went back to the top of the stands and covered ourselves with scarves to avoid the smoke,” said Eko.
Esther Andayanengchas told the BBC her 17-year-old daughter Deborah was caught in the panic and suffered serious injuries, including a broken neck and a swollen brain.
“I asked my daughter not to go to the game that day. In the morning she didn’t come home and her friends were looking for her.
“I looked for her in the hospital’s emergency ward, but she wasn’t there. The hospital told me to look at the mortuary. Deborah didn’t have an ID, so there was confusion.”
Other eyewitnesses heard a parent shouting, “Where’s my child?” in the chaos. One man said he saw a parent fall while protecting a child.
“A mother passed out with her child in her arms and a boy passed out next to her,” the eyewitness told the BBC.
“Some supporters picked up the mother and the boy and walked out of the stadium. They were carried away unconscious, probably due to the tear gas.”
Muhammad Dipo Maulana, 21, who was watching the match, told BBC Indonesian that several Arema fans entered the pitch following the game to protest once morest the home team’s players, but were quickly apprehended by police. He said he was beaten.
A large number of spectators then entered the pitch to protest.
“Police and soldiers with police dogs and shields came forward,” he told the BBC. He also said he heard tear gas fired at the crowd more than 20 times.
Police spokesman Dedi Placecho said the officers under investigation were “responsible for carrying weapons” and were being investigated by an internal affairs investigative team.
He added that on-site security teams and officials from the Indonesian Football League were also being investigated.
Indonesia’s Human Rights Commission said it would conduct its own investigation into the incident. President Joko Widodo has ordered the suspension of all top league matches pending an official inquiry.
Human rights group Amnesty International said the police response amounted to “an excessive use of force by the state” to control unarmed crowds. Protesters held protests in the capital Jakarta the night following the incident, holding placards urging them to stop police brutality.
The country’s police have long been criticized for frequently using tear gas in crowded stadiums.
Arema FC coach Roca told Spanish broadcaster Cadena Ser that he believed the police had “crossed the line” in an attempt to control the crowd.
image provided, EPA
A police vehicle waiting inside the stadium was attacked
The investigations were released following FIFA called the incident “a ‘black day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension'”.
FIFA has ruled that police and other personnel are not permitted to carry or use “crowd control gas” during matches and has asked the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) to report on the matter.
Chief Security Officer Mahhud MD posted on Instagram that 42,000 tickets had been sold for the night’s game at the 38,000-capacity Khanjurhan Stadium.
“There was chaos. People attacked police officers and damaged vehicles,” said East Java police chief Niko Afinta. Two police officers were also among the dead.
“Not everyone was in chaos. Only regarding 3,000 people entered the pitch,” he said.
He added that the fleeing fans “headed towards one exit point. After that, the crowd increased, and as they piled up, they mightn’t breathe and they ran out of oxygen.”
