Twelve people died and 90 others were injured in a stampede at a football stadium in El Salvador on Saturday, authorities said, turning a highly anticipated game into a chaotic scene as fans rushed to rescue people suffocated under a mass of body.
Videos circulating on Twitter and posted by local news media sites showed dozens of people dressed in white appearing to rush towards an exit from the stadium, some lying on the ground while others piled on top. It was not immediately clear what caused the rush Cuscatlan Stadium in San Salvador, where premier league soccer teams Alianza Futbol Club and Club Deportivo FAS were playing the second leg of a quarter-final.
At a press conference on Saturday evening, the director of El Salvador’s national police said authorities were investigating a possible cause: the large number of people attending the game may have caused the stadium’s Wi-Fi to malfunction. , which could have caused a problem. by scanning the QR codes on the tickets. That problem, he said, may have stranded hundreds of people at the south gate of the stadium, trying to get in.
police director Mauricio Arriaza Chicas said some fans had forced their way into the stadium. He said they would investigate ticket sales for the game. Local news outlets questioned whether too many tickets had been sold for the game. Nayib Bukelethe president of El Salvador, said “everyone will be investigated: teams, managers, stadium, ticket office, league, federation, etc. Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished”.
The commotion appears to have started after 20 minutes of play. During a live broadcast of the match on YouTube, commentators said they could see commotion in the stands and some people had passed out. The fans entered the field and the game was suspended. Health Minister Francisco Alabi shared photos on Twitter of the scene outside the stadium, with ambulances lined up in rows as fans stand beside the vehicles. Nine of the victims died at the stadium and three died in hospitals, authorities said.
The football association said it would “request a report” and that all matches would be called off on Sunday.
Videos circulating on Twitter and posted by local news media sites showed dozens of people dressed in white appearing to rush towards an exit from the stadium, some lying on the ground while others piled on top. It was not immediately clear what caused the rush Cuscatlan Stadium in San Salvador, where premier league soccer teams Alianza Futbol Club and Club Deportivo FAS were playing the second leg of a quarter-final.
At a press conference on Saturday evening, the director of El Salvador’s national police said authorities were investigating a possible cause: the large number of people attending the game may have caused the stadium’s Wi-Fi to malfunction. , which could have caused a problem. by scanning the QR codes on the tickets. That problem, he said, may have stranded hundreds of people at the south gate of the stadium, trying to get in.
police director Mauricio Arriaza Chicas said some fans had forced their way into the stadium. He said they would investigate ticket sales for the game. Local news outlets questioned whether too many tickets had been sold for the game. Nayib Bukelethe president of El Salvador, said “everyone will be investigated: teams, managers, stadium, ticket office, league, federation, etc. Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished”.
The commotion appears to have started after 20 minutes of play. During a live broadcast of the match on YouTube, commentators said they could see commotion in the stands and some people had passed out. The fans entered the field and the game was suspended. Health Minister Francisco Alabi shared photos on Twitter of the scene outside the stadium, with ambulances lined up in rows as fans stand beside the vehicles. Nine of the victims died at the stadium and three died in hospitals, authorities said.
The football association said it would “request a report” and that all matches would be called off on Sunday.
