ElSalvador
Fans flock to crowded football stadium: at least twelve dead in mass panic
A woman is supported by aid workers during the stampede in El Salvador
© Milton Flores / AFP
At least 12 people died in a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador. According to initial reports, hundreds of fans flocked to the overcrowded stadium.
The death toll after a stampede at a soccer stadium in El Salvador has risen to at least 12. In addition, around 100 people in serious condition were taken to various hospitals, said the director of civil protection in the Central American country, Luis Alonso Amaya, on Saturday (local time). The police had previously announced that at least nine people died in the panic at the Cuscatlán stadium in the capital, San Salvador.
El Salvador: At least 12 dead in stampede at soccer stadium
The El Salvador newspaper La Prensa Gráfica described the scrum on the sidelines of the first division game between FC Alianza and CD FAS as a “human avalanche”. In order to facilitate the work of the rescue workers, the game was canceled.
According to initial information from the police, the panic broke out when fans tried to get into the stadium. Civil Protection Director Amaya said: “It all started in Sol General sector, where there was a stampede due to the oversale of tickets, affecting 500 people.”