Global Courant 2023-05-22 05:02:24
The stampede that caused at least twelve deaths on Saturday in a stadium in the capital of El Salvador is the latest drama in a soccer venue, the scene of numerous tragedies.
In most cases, spectators are crushed to death against the protective fences of stadiums after a stampede, as in the case of El Salvador, when fans tried to access the field to watch a first division game.
Lima, Malang and Moscow –
The greatest tragedy of this type in history occurred at the National Stadium in Lima on May 24, 1964, during a qualifying match for the Olympics between Argentina and Peru.
An arbitration decision caused clashes in the stands between fans and the police, which ended up causing 320 deaths and a thousand injuries.
The gates of the stadium were closed, the police fired tear gas and the fans were unable to escape the venue, being crushed or suffocated to death.
Much more recently, on October 1, 2022, there was a stampede at the Malang stadium, on the island of Java (Indonesia), when the police tried to stop the fans with tear gas, causing the death of 135 people, among them more than 40 children, crushed or suffocated trying to access the exit doors, closed or too narrow.
The number of victims during an avalanche at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow in October 1982 after a match between Spartak and the Dutch club Haarlem is still unknown: 66 according to the authorities, but 340 according to an independent investigation.
Heysel and Sheffield
In Europe, the tragedy of Heysel in Brussels, where 39 people died and more than 600 were injured in May 1985, caused particular consternation.
Before the final of the European Cup between Liverpool and Juventus, the English invaded the stands where the Italian fans were. Separation fences and a wall collapsed under the pressure of the crowd.
Four years later, on April 15, 1989, 96 Liverpool fans also died in the old stands of the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield, during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
other deadly dramas
– In Egypt, in February 2012, riots between fans of the local Al Masry club and the Cairo club Al Ahly left 74 dead and hundreds injured in Port Said. The drama gave way to demonstrations against the military power, accused of inaction in the face of violence, with 16 more deaths.
– Accra, May 2001: 127 dead and hundreds injured in a Ghanaian championship match in a stampede caused by a referee’s decision. The investigation criticized the intervention of the police and the closing of the gates of the stadium.
– Kathmandu, March 1988: a rout caused by a violent hailstorm and an electrical blackout leaves one hundred dead during a match.
– Guatemala, October 1996: 83 dead and 150 injured in a human avalanche in a qualifying match for the 1998 World Cup in France between Guatemala and Costa Rica.
– Buenos Aires, June 1968: 71 Boca Juniors fans are crushed to death at the end of a match at the River Plate club stadium.
– Glasgow, January 1971: 66 deaths during a Rangers-Celtic derby.
– Bradford (England), May 1985: 56 deaths from the fire in the main grandstand.
– Cairo, February 1974: 48 dead in a match between the local Zamalek and the Czechs from Dukla Prague. In February 2015, the Egyptian capital was the scene of riots between police and fans that left 19 dead.
– Johannesburg, April 2001: 43 dead in a clash between the two great South African teams, Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs. Ten years earlier, in a match in Orkney between the two teams, a brawl left 40 dead.
– Kayseri (Turkey), in September 1967: 40 dead and 600 injured due to fights over a disputed goal between two local teams.
– Abidjan, March 2009: 20 dead and more than 130 injured on a Côte d’Ivoire-Malawi.
– Athens, February 1981: 21 dead in an Olympiakos-AEK game in Piraeus.
– Bastia, May 1992: 19 dead and more than 2,300 injured after the collapse of a stand at the Furiani stadium during the French Cup semifinal against Marseille.
– Uige (Angola), February 2018: at least 17 dead and sixty injured in a match between local teams.
– Dakar, July 2017: eight dead and hundreds injured during riots, avalanches and the collapse of a wall in the Demba Diop stadium.
– Yaoundé, Cameroon, January 24, 2022: Eight people were killed and dozens more injured in a stampede ahead of an Africa Cup of Nations match between hosts Cameroon and Comoros in Yaoundé.
