Supporters are helped by others following a stampede during a football match between Alianza and FAS at Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, on May 20, 2023. – Nine people were killed May 20, 2023 in a Soccer Stadium stampede at an El Salvador stadium where soccer fans had gathered to watch a local tournament, police said. (Photo by Milton FLORES / AFP)
Soccer stadium stampede leaves 12 dead
Police have reported that a stampede at a soccer stadium on Saturday resulted in 12 fatalities and hundreds more injuries.
Supporters are helped by others following a stampede during a football match between Alianza and FAS at Cuscatlan stadium in San Salvador, on May 20, 2023. – Nine people were killed May 20, 2023 in a Soccer Stadium stampede at an El Salvador stadium where soccer fans had gathered to watch a local tournament, police said. (Photo by Milton FLORES / AFP)
Police and emergency services reported that a Soccer stadium stampede in El Salvador on Saturday resulted in 12 fatalities and hundreds more injuries.
Authorities stated that early reports suggested a throng of spectators attempted to enter Cuscatlan Stadium in San Salvador, the capital of the Central American nation, to attend a local tournament game between clubs Alianza and FAS.
Soccer stadium stampede proves deadly
Emergency services removed spectators from the stadium as ambulance sirens wailed and hundreds of police officers and troops tried to restore order.
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“Salvadoran soccer is in mourning,” National Civil Police (PNC) director Mauricio Arriaza told reporters as he confirmed the death toll of 12.
The PNC and the Attorney General’s Office will look into the event, according to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, and those involved would be punished the leader promised.
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“Everyone will be investigated: teams, managers, stadium, box office, league, federation,” Bukele wrote on Twitter.
He warned that “whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished.”
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Arriaza of the PNC said the investigation would determine responsibility “either by action or omission of some of those in charge.”
A 40-year-old fan injured in the stampede spoke to the press afterwards reliving the terror of being crushed.
“A large crowd of people fell on me. I couldn’t even breathe, they were choking me,” Sandra Guzman told AFP.
“People were pushing me to get in, they didn’t give me a chance to go back. When I came to see, I panicked, I had a lot of people on top of me.
“I fainted, and when I woke up I was in the hospital.”
FIFA send condolences
FIFA’s chief offered his condolences Sunday after the “tragic” stampede.
“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,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
“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 Division de Futbol de El Salvador, at this difficult time,” Infantino said.
