Jakarta, 6/11/2022 (ANTARA) - The Kanjuruhan stadium stampede in Malang district, East Java, on October 1, 2022, which left 135 people, including 43 children, dead, 93 seriously injured, and 484 lightly wounded, has emerged as one of the deadliest disasters in world football history.
Two separate investigationsone conducted by the joint independent fact-finding team (TGIPF) formed by the Indonesian government and another by the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM)have confirmed that the use of tear gas by the police triggered the deadly crowd crush.
Their findings are in accordance with information provided by eyewitnesses and survivors of the stampede.
TGIPF, which was headed by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, submitted the results of its investigation to President Joko Widodo on October 14. Meanwhile, Komnas HAM shared the results of its investigation with the press on November 2.
This has indeed been our standing point from the start. Tear gas was the main trigger for the deaths, injuries, or trauma, a member of the commission, Choirul Anam, said at a press conference in Jakarta on November 2.
The police fired tear gas 45 times during the incident, according to another Komnas HAM member, Beka Ulung Hapsara.
The
Kanjuruhan stampede occurred following a football match between Arema
FC of Malang and Persebaya of Surabaya. Only supporters of Arema were
present at the stadium during the match, as supporters of Persebaya were
not allowed into the stadium due to security concerns.
Chaos broke out at the stadium when several Arema supporters stormed the pitch after the team lost 23 to Persebaya.
The Malang police, who were supported by military personnel in
guarding the match, tried to restore order by firing tear gas, among
other measures.
On October 20, Minister Mahfud said that the police and the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) were equally responsible for the incident.
