Grief unmatched: Arema FC supporters praying at a monument as they pay their condolences to the families of the victims of a riot after a soccer match between Arema vs Persebaya, outside Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, East Java province. — Reuters
An Indonesian police chief and nine elite officers were removed from their posts and 18 others were being investigated for responsibility in the firing of tear gas inside a soccer stadium that set off a stampede, killing at least 131 people, officials said.
Distraught family members were struggling to comprehend the loss of their loved ones, including dozens of children, at the match in East Java’s Malang city that was attended only by hometown Arema FC fans. The organiser had banned supporters of the visiting team, Persebaya Surabaya, because of Indonesia’s history of violent soccer rivalries.
The disaster on Saturday night was among the deadliest ever at a sporting event.
Arema players and officials laid wreaths on Monday in front of the stadium.
“We came here as a team asking forgiveness from the families impacted by this tragedy, those who lost their loves ones or the ones still being treated in the hospital,” head coach Javier Roca said.
On Monday night, about a thousand soccer fans dressed in black shirts held a candlelight vigil at a soccer stadium in Jakarta’s satellite city of Bekasi to pray for the victims of the disaster.
Witnesses said some of the 42,000 Arema fans ran onto the pitch in anger on Saturday after the team was defeated 3-2, its first loss at home against Persebaya in 23 years. But most of the deaths occurred when riot police, trying to stop the violence, fired tear gas, including in the stands, triggering a disastrous stampede of fans making a panicked, chaotic run for the exits. Most of the people who died were trampled or suffocated. The victims included two police officers.
Over 30 minors were among the dead and seven were being treated in hospitals, the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection said. Police said 323 people were injured in the crush, with some still in critical condition.
National Police spokesperson Dedy Prasetyo said Malang police chief Ferli Hidayat had been removed along with nine members of an elite police mobile brigade and face possible dismissal in a police ethics trial. He said 18 officers responsible for firing the tear gas, ranging from middle- to high-ranking, were being investigated.
Police are questioning witnesses and analysing video from 32 security cameras inside and outside the stadium and nine cellphones owned by the victims as part of an investigation that will also identify suspected vandals, he said.
The parents and other relatives of Faiqotul Hikmah, 22, wailed when an ambulance arrived at their home with her body wrapped in white cloth and a black blanket. She died while fleeing to exit 12 at Kanjuruhan Stadium.
A dozen friends had travelled with her to see the match, but Hikmah was one of only four who were able to enter the stadium because tickets were sold out, her friend, Abdul Mukid, said. He later bought a ticket from a broker after hearing of the chaos inside the stadium in order to search for Hikmah.
“I have to find her, save her,” Mukid recalled thinking.
Mukid found Hikmah’s body laid at a building in the stadium compound, with broken ribs and bluish bruises on her face. He learned that a second friend had also died from other friends who called him while he was in an ambulance taking Hikmah’s body to a hospital.
“I can’t put into words how much my sorrow is to lose my sister,” said Nur Laila, Hikmah’s older sibling.
“She was just a big Arema fan who wanted to watch her favourite team play. She shouldn’t die just for that,” she said, wiping away tears.
President Joko Widodo ordered the premier soccer league suspended until safety is reevaluated and security tightened.
Jokowi’s office intends to give out 50 million rupiah (RM15,173) in compensation to the families of those who died within one or two days. Indonesia’s soccer association also banned Arema from hosting soccer matches for the rest of the season. — Agencies
