At least 131 people were killed when chaos erupted after the match between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya in the Indonesian Football League.

Disgruntled home supporters stormed the pitch at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang and panic broke out as police responded by firing tear gas.

Now it also appears that several of the stadium's exits were locked when spectators would flee the arena to escape the tear gas.

A lack of stadium staff meant that all exits could not be opened, the Indonesian Football Association said.

Should have been open

The association's spokesman Ahmad Riyadh says all exits must be open ten minutes before the end of the match, but on Saturday several doors were still locked seven minutes after the referee blew the match off.

Something that led to the large number of victims in one of the world's biggest sporting tragedies.

However, the police claim that the exits were open, but that they were too small and that only two people at a time could get out as hundreds tried to escape.

However, some survivors have said that the exits were locked.

The police are investigating their own

According to recommendations by Fifa, the international football confederation, and AFC, the Asian Football Confederation, the exits must be open throughout the match for safety reasons.

In addition, there is a recommendation against the use of tear gas in the event of a fight.

Following the tragedy, the Indonesian Football Association suspended the home team's chief executive and security officer for life, and police announced that a manager and nine officers had been removed from duty and 18 were being investigated for the tear gas attack.

In addition, FC Arema is not allowed to stage any matches in front of an audience in Malang until next year.

Javascript is disabled

Javascript must be enabled to play video

Read more about browser support

Many of the dead were trampled to death according to the police.

Photo: Yudha Prabowo/EPA/TT