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Gates in the Indonesia soccer stadium stampede were too small : NPR


Protest signs cover a gate at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Indonesia on Tuesday. Police said the gates at the football stadium could only hold two people at a time as hundreds of people were trying to escape.

Achmad Ibrahim / AP


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Achmad Ibrahim / AP


Protest signs cover a gate at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Indonesia on Tuesday. Police said the gates at the football stadium could only hold two people at a time as hundreds of people were trying to escape.

Achmad Ibrahim / AP

MALANG, Indonesia – The gates at the Indonesian football stadium where police fired deadly tear gas were too small and could only accommodate two people at a time as hundreds were trying to escape, police investigating said. on Tuesday.

Pictures from Malang . Stadium where 125 people died and hundreds were injured on Saturday night, one of the deadliest disasters in sporting events revealed four interconnected door panels forming a portal. There are 14 ports in total.

Police said the investigation focused on CCTV footage at six of the 14 gates where most of the victims died. Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said the gate was unlocked but could only accommodate two people.

“For those six gates, they don’t close but they are too small. They can accommodate two people but have hundreds of people coming in and out. It’s very nice there,” Prasetyo told reporters. He added that the gates are the responsibility of the organizers.

Most of the deaths occurred when riot police fired tear gas and triggered a group of fans, causing one person to panic, running frantically for an exit. Police took action after some of the 42,000 Arema FC fans ran down the pitch in anger after their team was beaten 3-2, their first home loss to Persebaya Surabaya in 23 years.

Police officials have been removed and the case is under investigation

On Monday, police announced they had removed a police chief and nine elite officers and 18 others were being held responsible for the tear gas attack inside the stadium.

Contrary to police reports, some survivors said that some exit gates were locked and they were unable to get out. Most of them specifically refer to Port 13.

As recommended by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, stadium exits must be unlocked at all times during the match for safety purposes. Those rules don’t necessarily apply to domestic or national tournaments but are still a safety standard, as well as a recommendation against the use of tear gas as a crowd control measure.

Prasetyo Pujiono, a 32-year-old farmer from Malang, who watched the match with friends near Gate 13, said: “People tried to save themselves after tear gas was fired. My group separated from each other. “.

“People can’t stay inside the stadium anymore. We wanted to get out but the gate was closed. That’s why most people die from being trampled or suffocated,” he said. . “I remember them screaming that they couldn’t breathe and their eyes hurt.”

Those who tried to escape eventually broke through the wall next to Gate 13, leaving a large hole with a doodle that read: “Goodbye my brothers and sisters. 01-10-2022”

Hundreds of Arema supporters and local residents have paid their respects to the victims at Gates 13 and 12 since Monday. They prayed together, released rose petals, bouquets and placed several Arema scarves around the gate.

Pujianto said he moved more than 20 bodies scattered around Gate 13.

“Poor them. A lot of bodies were scattered at Gate 13. We couldn’t get out without moving them. So me and my friends carried them to the fields,” he said.

Evita Triawardani, 26-year-old Arema fan, said that at every match she attends, the organizers usually open the gates 15 to 20 minutes before the match ends. But that Saturday night, she said Gate 13 was closed. She saved herself by running out of the stadium through Gate 14, which she said was open.

She said she’s seen people crying and gasping amid clouds of tear gas, and parents holding their babies on their shoulders so they can breathe. At least 17 children were among the dead.

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