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At least 129 people are dead and about 200 more injured, police say, after chaos and violence erupted late on Saturday following an Indonesian league soccer match between two of the nation’s biggest teams.
Supporters of Arema FC and rival Persebaya Surabaya clashed after home team Arema FC was defeated 3-2 at a match in the city of Malang in East Java.
Supporters from the losing team had “invaded” the pitch and police fired tear gas, triggering a stampede which led to cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta said during a press conference following the event.
“First of all, a riot happened,” Nico said.
“From Saturday’s incident (so far), 127 people have died – including two members of the police,” he said earlier. Close to 200 people were also injured, he added.
Videos filmed from inside the stadium late into the night and shared on social media showed fans, dressed in red and blue, storming the field and clashing with Indonesian security forces, who appeared to be wearing riot gear.