At least 12 people were killed and several injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador on Saturday, the government of the Central American country said.
Alianza FC and Club Deportivo FAS were playing the second leg of their playoff quarterfinal game at the Cuscatlán Stadium in the country’s capital, San Salvador, when play was suspended following a stampede in the general section.
The venue is one of the largest stadiums in Central America and has an official capacity of over 44,000 fans.
“The Salvadoran Football Federation deeply regrets the events that took place at the Cascatlán stadium,” the organization wrote on Twitter.
“It also expresses solidarity with the next of kin of those affected and deceased in this incident.”
The federation said they would request a report on the incident immediately, suspending the tournament following Saturday’s incidents, calling a meeting with the Sports Venues Safety Commission on Sunday.
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El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele said that the National Civil Police and the Attorney General’s office would conduct a “thorough investigation” of the events at the stadium.
Bukele wrote on Twitter, “Everyone will be investigated: team, manager, stadium, box office, league, federation etc. Whoever is the culprit will not be spared.”
The incident comes after a deadly stampede at a stadium in Indonesia’s East Java in October last year that left 135 spectators dead. Many were crushed to death as they ran for the exits after police fired tear gas at the crowd.
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