129 dead after fans stampede to exit Indonesian soccer match
An eerie scene in which a dead fan was dragged from the stands before an Indonesian football match has emerged.
Two weeks prior to the J-League match between Bali and Gresik, fans started to stampede, according to the police in Bali.
Witnesses said they saw up to 30 people being killed before police officers used force to disperse fans who continued to riot.
The chaos follows a string of similar incidents in which fans were attacked or even killed on the sidelines of Indonesian Premier League matches.
Fans throw beer at Bali police, sparking violence
Sporadic clashes between fans and police also break out in the country’s lower leagues and on its roads.
On Saturday, police said one man was killed when thugs wearing helmets, who had attacked a rival team’s fans, attacked a police station.
And in the latest incident on Saturday, another person was killed after fans attacked police at a football match in Gorontalo, in the province of East Java.
Police have confirmed that two people were killed after fan violence at the match between Gresik and Persikab Bali on Friday night.
Police spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said they had to use force to disperse fans after reports of a death, and several of them were arrested.
“The two victims were fatally injured,” he said.
The police’s Rapid Response Brigade, which is meant to deal with crowd related issues, said they would handle the matter as a’special measure’.
“We will be implementing the measures that are in place to prevent violence, but the people involved are not to be arrested,” Nugroho said.
‘He’s dead – he is dead’
The dead man was reportedly carrying his son’s bag when police officers attempted to disperse the crowd.
Local media reports that he was dead, but Nugroho said all the victims were still in the hospital.
Bali Governor Edi Rachmah has said that the death of a “loyal supporter” did not reflect on the security forces.
The J-League star, who goes by the