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Watch: Crowd Control Turns Deadly - 174 Killed At Indonesia Soccer Stadium
• https://www.zerohedge.com, by Tyler DurdenThe fatal mayhem began just after the game ended and the host Arema Football Club lost 3-2 to Persebaya Surabaya. A police official told Associated Press that all 42,000 spectators at Kanjuruhan Stadium were backers of Arema FC, as Persebaya fans had been banned to prevent fights.
Arema fans stormed their home pitch to vent their frustration over the team's first home loss against Persebaya in 23 years. Video shared on social media shows the fans on the field were promptly confronted by baton-wielding police with riot shields.
Police fired tear gas after most fans had cleared the field. Rather than controlling the crowd, the tear gas clouds triggered a panicked rush to a narrow exit, as the The New York Times reports:
Hundreds of people ran to one exit gate in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated and others were trampled, killing 34 almost instantly. "There was a pile-up," [East Java police chief Nico] Afinta said. "The buildup process resulted in shortness of breath and lack of oxygen."