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How the Indonesia stadium disaster unfolded

It is one of the deadliest disasters in the history of football. In Indonesia on October 1, 2022, chaos erupted after thousands of fans invaded the pitch at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang as hosts Arema FC lost 3-2 to rival East Java club Persebaya Surabaya. Police fired tear gas, sending spectators rushing for the exit gates. The rush led to a stampede that killed dozens of people almost instantly. The death toll reached 131 and hundreds more were injured.

By Published October 10, 2022
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At 8pm, the match starts between local team Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya. Some 42,000 tickets were issued for a stadium that is only supposed to hold 38,000 people. No tickets were sold to Persebaya fans.
Shortly before 10pm, the match ends with the home team Arema defeated 3-2, its first loss at home against visiting Persebaya Surabaya in 23 years. People in the stands start throwing bottles and other objects towards the field.
Home side fans invade the pitch as the game ends, while the players rush to the changing rooms. Police fire tear gas - some towards the stands - in a bid to control the situation. That prompts panicked fans to scramble to leave through the exits.
Some exits at Kanjuruhan Stadium are locked, leading to a crush and stampede. Most of the deaths are near the stadium's Gate 13. Many victims die of a lack of oxygen and from being trampled.
After the stampede, Arema fans throw rocks at officers and torch vehicles including a police truck on the streets of Malang.

Panic in the stands

Police launched tear gas into packed terraces, prompting spectators to rush en masse down stairs to small gates where many were trampled or suffocated.

The aftermath

Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered an audit of all football stadiums in the country, vowing to find the "root of the problem" that caused the disaster.

Major stadium disasters in the last 40 years

Associate Creative Director Marcelo Duhalde
Edited by Andrew London
Additional web development by Dennis Wong

Sources: bola.kompas.com, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press

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