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Fans had tried to forcibly enter a section of the stadium for which too many tickets had been sold
Photo: MILTON FLORES / AFP
At least twelve people were killed yesterday in a mass panic at the Estadio Cuscatlan in the Salvadoran capital San Salvador. Several people were also injured and taken to hospital, local police said on Twitter on Saturday. According to initial reports, there was a large crowd of fans before the football match between the host Alianza FC and CD FAS, the arena holds more than 45,000 seats.
Civil protection director Luis Alonso Amaya said that the cause of the mass panic was the oversale of tickets in a section of the stadium. 500 people were affected. The game was interrupted to keep the spectators safe. The newspaper »La Prensa Gráfica« from El Salvador described the crowd as a »human avalanche«.
Carlos Fuentes, spokesman for the emergency services, reported at least 500 injured people, 100 of whom were in critical condition. In a video released by the National Police Agency (PNC), several ambulances can be seen outside the stadium, from which paramedics rush to the scene of the accident.
Hundreds of soldiers and police in action
Health Minister Francisco Alabí said "all patients" would receive medical care. Hundreds of soldiers and police were also sent to the stadium. In a first reaction, the Salvadoran Football Federation expressed its "deep regret for the events at the Cuscatlan Stadium". Alianza and record champion FAS are two of the most popular teams in the Central American country.
Last autumn, 135 people were killed in a mass panic in an Indonesian football stadium. Among them were more than 40 children.
vgl/dpa/sid