Nine Killed in El Salvador Stadium Stampede at Soccer Match – Police

At least nine people were killed Saturday in a stampede at a stadium in El Salvador where soccer fans had gathered to watch a local tournament, police said.

Taking to its Twitter handle, the National Civil Police posted, “The number of deaths after the stampede at the Cuscatlan Stadium amounts to nine.”

The security agency also said “several” injured people, including at least two in critical condition, were being taken to nearby hospitals.

Police said initial reports indicated a rush of fans trying to enter the stadium in the capital of the Central American country, San Salvador, to watch a match between teams Alianza and FAS.

El Salvador’s Interior Minister Juan Carlos Bidegain said first responders from the Civil Protection Service are on the scene and treating those affected by the incident.

The match was suspended as emergency personnel evacuated people from the stadium, where hundreds of police and soldiers had gathered to the sound of ambulance sirens.

Health Minister Francisco Alabi said the country’s hospital network was “providing medical care to all patients” in the wake of the bathtub.

The tragedy comes seven months after 135 people including more than 40 children died in a stampede following a football match in Malang, Indonesia.

 

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