Indonesia soccer match chaos seen on video, stampede death toll at 125

Video from the chaos that erupted after a soccer match in Indonesia Saturday night shows just how horrific the clash between fans and police was. 

Panic and a disorderly run for exits after police fired tear gas at the match to drive away fans upset with their team’s loss left at least 125 dead, most of whom were trampled or suffocated, making it one of the deadliest sports events in the world.

“Unfortunately, this incident has certainly injured our soccer image,” Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali said.

Gianni Infantino, the president of soccer’s international governing body FIFA, called the deaths at the stadium “a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension,” while Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation of security procedures. While FIFA has no control over domestic games, it has advised against the use of tear gas at soccer stadiums.

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Violence broke out after the game ended Saturday evening with host Arema FC of East Java’s Malang city losing to Persebaya of Surabaya 3-2.

An additional 180 people were injured in the incident, Reuters reports. 

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Some local officials had put the death toll at 174, but East Java Deputy Governor Emil Dardak said the number of fatalities had subsequently been revised down to 125 because authorities found some victims were counted twice.

Indonesia’s soccer association, known as PSSI, suspended the premier soccer league Liga 1 indefinitely in light of the tragedy and banned Arema from hosting soccer matches for the remainder of the season.

Indonesia is due to host the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup from May 20 to June 11, with 24 participating teams. As the host, the country automatically qualifies for the cup.

Saturday’s game is already among the world’s worst crowd disasters, including the 1996 World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica in Guatemala City where over 80 died and over 100 more were injured. In April 2001, more than 40 people are crushed to death during a soccer match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.