
At least 12 people died while several others were injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador on Saturday, the AFP news agency reported citing the Central American country's government andpolice authorities.El Salvador Police said the incident took place when a stampede took place at a football stadium where spectators had come to watch a local tournament match.
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"The number of deaths after the stampede at the Cuscatlan Stadium is 12," the National Civil Police said. It added that "several" injured individuals, including at least two in serious condition, were being transported to local hospitals.
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Alianza FC and Club Deportivo FAS were playing the second leg of their playoff quarter-final game at the Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, the country's capital, when play was suspended after a stampede broke out in the general section.
The stadium is one of the largest and has an official capacity of more than 44,000, reported Reuters.
“The Salvadoran Football Federation deeply regrets the events that occurred at the Cuscatlan Stadium,” the organization wrote on Twitter.
“It also expresses solidarity with the relatives of those affected and deceased in this incident,” it added.
The federation has sought a report on the incident and suspendedthe tournament after the stampede whilecalling for a meeting with the Security Commission of Sports Venues on Sunday.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said the National Civil Police and the Attorney General's Office would conduct a "thorough investigation" into the turn of events that led to the stampede at the stadium.
“Everyone will be investigated: teams, managers, stadium, box office, league, federation, etc. Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished,” Bukele wrote on Twitter.
The incident comes after a deadly stampede last year killed 135 spectators at a stadium in Indonesia’s East Java in October. Many were crushed as they fled for exits after police fired tear gas into the crowd.
(With inputs from agencies)
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