Global Courant 2023-05-21 09:47:57
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – At least nine people were killed and dozens more injured when soccer fans forced their way through one of the gates during a quarterfinal match in the Salvadoran league on Saturday.
The National Civil Police said in a preliminary report via Twitter that nine people were killed in the match between clubs Alianza and FAS at the Monumental stadium in Cuscatlan, about 40 kilometers northeast of the capital.
At least two of the injured who have been transported to hospitals are in critical condition, police said.
Carlos Fuentes, spokesman for the rescue group Rescue Commandos, also confirmed the deaths.
“We can confirm nine deaths – seven men and two women – and we have treated more than 500 people and more than 100 have been transported to hospitals, some of them serious,” said Fuentes.
Play was halted about 16 minutes into the game, when fans in the stands began waving frantically to attract the attention of those on the pitch and carrying the injured out of a tunnel onto the pitch.
Local television broadcast live footage of the aftermath of the crush by Alianza fans. Dozens reached the field where they received medical treatment. Fans escaping the crowds stood on the pitch waving shirts angrily and trying to watch people lying on the grass barely moving.
Pedro Hernández, president of El Salvador’s first football division, said the preliminary information he had was that the crush arose because fans managed to enter the stadium through a gate.
National Civil Police Commissioner Mauricio Arriza Chicas said at the scene of the tragedy that a criminal investigation would be launched in conjunction with the Attorney General’s Office.
“We will investigate from ticket sales, the entrances to the stadium, but especially the southern zone,” where, he said, the gate was pushed open.
The Salvadoran Football Federation said in a statement that it regrets what happened and expressed support for the families of the victims.
