Authorities investigate El Salvador stadium crush with at least 12 people dead
The death toll has risen to at least 12 in El Salvador, ITV News' Charlie Frost reports
El Salvador’s National Civil Police have launched a criminal investigation after at least 12 people died in a football stadium crush in San Salvador.
Dozens more fans were injured during Saturday’s incident at the Primera Division play-off quarter-final second leg between Alianza and FAS at the Cuscatlan Stadium in the country’s capital. The match was suspended and a statement from the press office of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele later confirmed that at least 12 people had died.
Play was suspended about 16 minutes into the match on Saturday, when waving fans started to carry the injured out of a tunnel and down to the pitch.
Local television transmitted live images of the aftermath of the stampede by Alianza fans.
Dozens made it onto the field, where they received medical treatment, while fans who escaped the crush stood on the field waving shirts trying to review people lying on the grass barely moving.
Pedro Hernández, president of El Salvador football's first division, said the preliminary information he had was that the stampede occurred because fans managed to push through a gate into the stadium.
“It was an avalanche of fans who overran the gate,” an unidentified volunteer with the Rescue Commandos first aid group told journalists.
“Some were still under the metal in the tunnel. Others managed to make it to the stands and then to the field and were smothered.”
President Bukele promised that an “exhaustive investigation” would be conducted into what happened at the stadium. He added on Twitter: “Everyone will be investigated: teams, directors, stadium, ticket office, league, federation, etc… “Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished.”
National Civil Police Commissioner Mauricio Arriza Chicas, at the scene of the tragedy, said there would be a criminal investigation in conjunction with the Attorney General’s Office.
“We are going to investigate from the ticket sales, the entries into the stadium, but especially the southern zone,” where, he said, the gate was pushed open.
Francisco Alabi, the minister of health, said on Twitter in the hours after the incident: “At the moment, as an integrated health system, we are caring for around 90 people after what happened at the stadium. “The patients are both women and men, including minors, and who mostly have been treated for multiple injuries. “The majority of them are in a stable condition and at the moment we have had no reports of deaths from hospitals.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino sent his condolences to the victims of the tragedy and the world governing body confirmed there would be a minute’s silence before Sunday’s matches at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Argentina. Infantino said in a statement on www.fifa.com: “I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims who lost their lives after the tragic incidents that have taken place in El Salvador during the match between Alianza FC and Club Deportivo FAS. “Together with FIFA and the global football community, all our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected, as well as with the people of the Republic of El Salvador, the Concacaf Confederation, the Salvadoran Football Association, and the Primera Divison de Futbol de El Salvador, at this difficult time.”
The Salvadoran Soccer Federation said in a statement that it regretted what had happened and voiced support for the victims' families. It also said said that all national level football matches on Sunday would be suspended.
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