Jakarta, Indonesia
CNN
—
Fans trying to flee the chaos that erupted at Indonesia’s Kanjuruhan Stadium final Saturday grew to become trapped after safety did not open a number of exit gates, in keeping with the nationwide soccer affiliation, contributing to the group crush wherein at the very least 131 folks died.
Security forces are dealing with mounting anger over their position within the catastrophe, amid questions over whether or not officers used extreme drive in trying to take away followers from the sector following Arema FC’s 3-2 defeat in opposition to guests Persebaya Surabaya.
The catastrophe, one of many worst within the sport’s historical past, noticed quite a few the 42,000 Arema FC followers conflict with police, prompting safety forces to fireside tear gasoline into enclosed areas of the stadium. Most of the deaths – together with 33 youngsters – are believed to have occurred as panicked followers tried to flee the choking smoke, triggering a crush on the exits.
Indonesian police have launched an investigation into using tear gasoline on the sport within the metropolis of Malang, resulting in the suspension of 9 officers from East Java province.
But amid allegations of mismanagement by each police and the sport’s organizers, survivors of the tragedy are demanding solutions.
“We were all disappointed with the match result but there was no (sign of) violence or chaos until police started firing tear gas,” mentioned Arema fan Toni Lestari Widodo, 62.
It solely “escalated the situation” and made it worse, he mentioned. “The police overreacted in their handling of the situation. I really don’t understand why they did it. There was really no point for violence (on their part).”
Andi Hariyanto, 32, misplaced a number of members of his household within the tragedy, together with his spouse, two teenage daughters and nephew.
He had remained behind along with his household within the stands to keep away from becoming a member of crowds dashing for the exits.
Riot police on the sector fired tear gasoline at supporters within the stands, he mentioned.
“It was a big mistake,” he mentioned. “Don’t they know that there were many women and children who were also watching the match? I still don’t understand. What did we do to make them want to shoot us?”
Hariyanto managed to flee the following crush alongside along with his his 2-year-old son, Gian.
His spouse, Gebi Asta Putri Purwoko, and their two daughters, Natasya Debi Ramadani, 14, and Naila Debi Anggraini, 12, didn’t.
At round midnight, he returned to the stadium, the place dozens of physique baggage have been mendacity on the bottom. “One by one, I opened the covers to find my family,” he mentioned.
“Then I found Natasya and Naila, lying there close to each other,” he mentioned, combating again tears. “I can’t remember how many bodies I checked to find them but when I finished it all, I still couldn’t find my wife.”
In an announcement Tuesday, the Football Association of Indonesia mentioned it had completely eliminated the safety official accountable for regulating the stadium’s exits. It mentioned a few of the gates remained locked through the catastrophe owing to a failure to correctly talk orders.
“The doors should have been open but were closed,” mentioned Erwin Tobing, chief of the affiliation’s self-discipline fee. There are 14 gates on the stadium in complete.
Safety guidelines and measures state that gates have to be unlocked 10 minutes earlier than the tip of a match.
On the evening of the catastrophe, a number of gates have been nonetheless locked minutes after the referee blew the ultimate whistle, the affiliation famous.
Spokesperson Ahmad Riyadh additionally blamed the scarcity of employees, saying that “only a few guards” had been readily available to open the gates.
All Indonesian soccer league matches have been suspended underneath orders of President Joko Widodo, as official investigations are underway. On Wednesday, Widodo mentioned he’ll order a “total audit” of soccer stadiums throughout the nation in an effort to stop any additional tragedies.